A Father's Dying Wish
by Meatbroaf
Summary: Can a man be a father to a boy he doesn't know?
1. Chapter 1

The Tower of Heaven was an _interesting_ place.

Certainly not the worst place that Naruto has ever been. Most definitely not the best place. Without a doubt it's not going to be the last place he ever visits. Yet when compared to the mental torture that was his childhood, well, it was a breeze.

The physical labor is exhausting for sure. There isn't much sunlight. The floors are as hard as concrete because, well, _it is concrete._ The guards lack creativity with their curse words. He wears rags as clothes. He doesn't have a working toilet. And the minuscule amount of water he is given is usually dirty and gross. But to be honest, none of that compares to two things:

Number one: The food that they are given sucks! It's gross, flavorless, burnt AND undercooked at the same damn time somehow, and it's smelly! His rations tasted better. And as much as it kills him to say it, even Sakura's 'soldier pill/ration supplement' tasted like a freshly crafted bowl of ramen -because making ramen is an art form and not a simple thing to do- on a rainy evening. Naruto gulped. He never thought he would actually miss those...

Number two: There is no orange! Anywhere. He has looked everywhere in this kami-forsaken place for some version of his favorite color, yet the only colors he can find on any given day is blue, red, white, black, and brown. What the hell!?

And he thought Sasuke-teme's place was dull.

But as he looked down at his half-starved, wide-eyed child audience, he knows that this abysmal home of his isn't known for the color, food, sights, exercise, money, or fun. No, what makes this place more memorable than miserable is the people with whom he shares a cell with.

These six kids and one wise old man had been through a lot together. Everywhere from working hard while keeping themselves under the radar of sadistic guards to learning math with nothing but their fingers to use as tools. Rob-jiji was doing everything he can to make their lives worth living for. Trying endlessly to keep that spark of innocence and joy that radiates within the heart and soul of every healthy child from blowing out into cinders, has been a tough job for the man.

He never talked about why he has tried so hard with the kids. Why he chose (when every other adult that has come and gone from their cell has turned their back to the children) to suffer for them. To give them food, to give them shelter, to give them warmth, both physical and emotional.

Naruto knows from his own childhood how haunting and lonesome it can be without anyone there to care for you. To pick you up. To encourage you.

Naruto was lucky, at least, he believed himself to be. If it wasn't for one brown haired, horizontally scarred chunin and a kind old man who looked out for him, he could of become the demon that everyone loved to call him. But those two made him feel noticed. _Wanted._ More than anyone else had. And much like that, his embers gained a second life, and his own Will of Fire was born.

But never mind Naruto and his musings! The kids have bestowed upon him a great honor. One of which he has never had the pleasure of doing. So with a gut full of air and his own memories running a mile a minute, he began...

 _Two children from two different lands._

 _Both blissfully unaware of what the future holds for them._

 _We begin with a girl. Her personality was as vibrant and alive as the red hair on her head._

"Red hair? Like mine?" Naruto's eyes refocused faster than his head did. It took a moment for his brain to catch up to the real world as the memory given to him by his mother receded back into its place.

With a expertly crafted kind smile he looked down at the girl, "Yes. Red hair as beautiful as yours."

She blushed.

It was the same shade, well, close to it. His mother's had been a tad lighter if he does say so himself.

Realizing the kids were waiting, he resumed:

 _She lived in a far away land full of unique and amazing people. Each one had red hair on their head and magic flowing through their veins. But even among people whose refuge lies in their community this girl felt left out. Alone. Her Fuuinjutsu skills are top tier. Her magical prowess was outstanding._

 _Even among these exotic people she was so unique, so brilliant, that they had to send her away. Her talent was being squandered. Thus, she went to a place hidden in the leaves. There she entered the great village of Konohagakure no Sato. A place where there are no mages. No Wizard Saints! But instead there is a different magical force that roams the lands. There she was in the land... of the ninja!_

"Ninja!"

 _Yes! Ninja! They roam these lands; protecting those they care from the shadows because that is what a ninja is! A ghost in the night! They're fast. They're strong. They're cunning and dangerous. Their path is not a glorious one. Their future doesn't hold fame or fortune! There is no red carpet!_

 _They are content knowing that the path they chose will lead to a better future for all!_

 _And this is what the red hair girl shall become. A ninja for Konoha! So when she arrived in the hidden village she was enrolled in a school. The academy of shinobi where she'll learn how to harness her magic._

 _On the first day of class the students sat patiently in their seats. Or, at least as patient as a group of eight year olds can be on the first day toward the rest of their lives. Everyone arrived hours early because they couldn't handle the wait any longer!_

 _Everyone but one girl._

 _So when the door slid open the class hushed. Dozens of sets of eyes stared at the newcomer. The instructor and all the students looked at the newcomer and the first thing they noticed was her vibrant red hair._

 _"You must be Kushina, yes?" the instructor asked. The school had been expecting her for some time. When she missed orientation the higher-ups in the academy were beginning to worry._

 _"Y-yes" she shyly spoke._

 _The instructor motioned for her to come inside. Her purple eyes looked up at his, held the stare for a fraction of a second before she looked away._

 _"Everyone! This is your new classmate. Please say hello."_

 _There were scattered hello's and hi's from the class. Many were too entranced at her exotic appearance to bother to comment anything. Most had never seen scarlet-hair before!_

 _"Why don't you introduce yourself."_

 _'Just say your name. Just say your name. Just say your name.' she repeated like a mantra. She opened her mouth and for a few second nothing but dead air exited. She finally worked up the nerve but maybe just a little too much. "MY NAME IS KUSHINA UZUMAKI AND I AM GOING TO BE THE FIRST FEMALE HOKAGE!"_

"What's a Hokage?" Naruto heard Erza ask. The foreign word felt unfamiliar on her tongue. It had an odd aftertaste.

"The Hokage is the leader of Konoha. They are supposed to be the strongest person in the whole village. Everyone loves and respects the Hokage. From the children to the elderly, they all love 'em!

"Hokage." Jellal whispered curiously.

 _The class sat there in utter silence. Seconds passed yet time was frozen. Kushina was frightened. Maybe it would come off as charming? or as a joke? God why did she have to say that!_

 _Her eyes traced downwards and dared not look up. The class's eyes went from intrigue to surprise to condemnation and when she heard the class burst and her ears were filled with mocking laughter, she just couldn't look up._

 _She had been here for a day and she already hated this village._

 _"And look at that red-hair of hers!"_

 _The instructor finally gained control of the class to the point he could calm their laughter but no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't prevent the harassment that would arise from that statement._

 _But among the class there was one boy who stood up. He pounded his right hand over his heart and proclaimed "My dream too is to become Hokage."_

"Assholes."

"Jellal!" Rob called from the corner, "Language."

"Sorry Rob-ojisan."

Naruto's boisterous laugh moved through the cell. Jellal was always defensive of the red-head. That's for sure.

 _After Kushina's unique introduction to the class, she has found a... hard time adjusting to living in Konoha. The mental harassment from her classmates cut her deep._

 _But revenge came in due time. While she couldn't stop them from calling her mean names, she was physically superior to many of her classmates. When they spared, she pounded many of them into dust._

 _That is until one day one of the 'bullies' got fed up with being beaten. So in an act of desperation he called on his older brother, who was maybe thirteen, to 'help' him._

 _A summer breeze rolled over Kushina's face as she walked through Hikari no mori. Sakura pedals glided through the forest. Their pink hue clashing with Kushina's red hair. Her heartbeat was steady. Her steps were riddled with confidence and a smile, however so small, caused her face to glow like a thousand suns._

 _"That's her nii-san!" And with those words that smile disappeared._

 _Kushina turned around when she heard the voice of one of her classmates only to be met with the unfortunate sight of one of her 'bullies' and his older brother._

 _"So I heard that you have been picking on my little brother?" The kid asked._ _He was a few inches taller than Kushina and was about three years older than her. Tied across his forehead was a blue bandana with a metal plate on it and a picture of a leaf. A symbol of the village. A symbol of a shinobi. It was still new and the child wore it with a smug pride! Almost as if he was better than everyone else!_

 _"What!? NO I haven't! He has been the one calling me tomato-head and other mean names!"_

 _The older brother smiled. "Well you are a tomato head."_

 _Kushina's blood begin to boil._

 _"And it seems as if you should learn some respect. You weren't born here. You're a guest. You have no right to fight the people of the village so I'll give you a choice. Either you apologize to my brother..." His eyes took a menacing glint, "Or I kick your ass."_

 _"I would like to see you try." Was Kushina's only response._

 _The brother then launched himself at Kushina with all of his might! Rage filled punches assaulted the boy but with experienced ease he blocked, deflected and parried the onslaught! She went for a high left kick that the boy blocked yet the power behind it sent wind rustling through his hair. But as every academy student is taught, he saw an opening and struck!_

 _Kushina's vision darkened and she clutched her stomach as the fist removed itself from her stomach. The boy who still had hold of her leg grasped it with both hands and swung her around like a wrecking ball before throwing her deeper into the forest._

 _In an impressive feat of agility and dexterity she flipped herself around mid-air and slid to a stop. Deciding to forego her fight instinct she fled to the trees and tried to get away._

 _A magical presence made itself known. It was lagging only a second behind her and hoping to catch her assailant off guard, she landed on a tree branch, swiftly pivoted on her right leg, turned 180 degrees and delivered a nasty right hook straight to the boy's face!_

A round of smiles from his audience.

 _...Only for him to fade into nothing. Surprise etched it's way onto Kushina's face until a kick to the back sent her flying into the tree trunk._

 _She quickly scrambled to get up and leaped to the next branch but a hand reached out and grabbed her by her scarlet locks and_ _ **pulled**_ _!_

 _Kushina yelped in pain and fell to the ground. Not wanting to faceplant, she recovered the best she could and landed on her two feet before stumbling onto one knee._

 _"Pathetic!" The older boy mocked. "You can't even tell the difference between a bunshin and a real person! How do you plan on graduating! You shouldn't even be a ninja!" The older boy's cruel words echoed in her skull as the boy lifted her up by the hair._

 _Kushina screamed out in pain and grasped the older boys wrist in a desperate attempt to force him to let go!_

 _"You know having this stupid long red hair is more of a hindrance than anything! Look at what it does to you when I just grab and pull!" The boy's malicious laugh reverberated through the forest. He yanked, twisted, and pulled! Kushina tried to break his grasp of her hair but she couldn't! He was too strong!_

 _'What to do?!' She thought to herself! A lightbulb went off in her head and she hoped it would work! She raised her left leg up as high as she could get it, threw it backwards and hit him!_

 _Right in the balls._

 _His malicious laughter immediately stopped and he released her hair. She immediately turned around and shattered his nose with a single punch. He fell over onto his butt in agony and looked up with eyes of horror!_

 _"You... you MONSTER!" The boy picked himself up and roan off in hopes to conserve some of his dignity! His little brother followed him like a lost puppy._

 _Then, ever so subtly, another presence made itself known to Kushina, yet she couldn't will herself to turn around. Her eyes were glued to the ground and she waited patiently for the other person to leave. She continued to wait. And wait. And wait. Slowly, without this person even doing anything, it ticked away at Kushina. She could feel her patience running thin and when it snapped she turned around with fierce purple eyes to be met with the boy who also proclaimed that he wanted to be Hokage. Minato was his name if she remembered._

 _"WHAT ARE YOU LOOKING AT!" She called out in anger. She didn't wait for him to respond. She turned around and ran home._

Why didn't Minato help Kushina?" Jellal asked.

Naruto brought his hand up and scratched the back of his head. "Maybe he wasn't there in time. Maybe he believed that kushina could handle her own against the bully. Who knows?" Naruto chuckled at the unsatisfied looks they were shooting his way.

"That's not a very good answer..." Erza said.

 _But for Kushina, the day was only beginning. Later that night she resting in the house that was given to her. Alone. So when a faint sound echoed through the halls of her house, she panicked. She grabbed the practice kunai in her right hand. 'Maybe it was the guards?' She idly wondered._

 _She peaked down the hallway but was met with nothing but darkness. But much like they were taught in the academy, she didn't solely rely on her eyes. Sight was a sense people overestimate and she wasn't going to be a victim because she was cocky! She crept out of the room and made her way down the hallway. If something had, in fact, happened to her guards, all she had to do was make it outside and scream._

 _A platoon of shinobi would be here in seconds._

 _But as she moved down the hallway her instincts screamed at her to turn around. Thus, she did._

 _Many emotions ran through her heart over the next second. Instinct, fear, surprise, anger, helplessness, then a deep sense of loneliness._

 _And as she was knocked out and tied up, she knew that chances were, she was about to be taken._

 _She awoke sometime later. She wasn't sure how long she was out but her hands were tied behind her back with long metallic chains. She was resistant at first but ninja have a way of 'convincing' people to do what they need to do._

 _Thus, she walked._

 _But with every step she took she pulled out a piece of her vibrant red hair. She hoped that someone, anyone would notice she was gone or that they saw her trail. But with all of the pain and hatred she experienced so far, she doubted anyone in Konoha cared._

 _Sometime later, when they were beginning to approach the outside of the village, she sensed something she sensed before. But given the fact that her captors didn't seem to be suspicious at all, she thought she was just imagining things._

 _Suddenly, with a flash of yellow the group of three evil ninja were reduced to two. The one in the very back fell over. Knocked out. The one in the middle turned around when he heard his comrade collapse and he too met the same fate. The only thing they noticed was a blur. The one up front spun to meet his attacker who defeated his teammates. But his world turned to black as his own body fell to the ground._

 _But Kushina continued to walk. Too tired to be aware of what happened around her, or too uncaring to bother to stop. Yet slowly her savior walked out of the shadows. She watched as his body slowly came into the moonlight and all words fell out of her mouth. It was the boy. It was Minato._

 _Only one word made its way out of her mouth: "How?" Minato, as if expecting the question smiled and held out his hand. There, wrapped tightly in a fist was a few strands of her hair. Her hair!_

 _"Your red hair." He answered. He scanned over her body and his shoulders un-tensed as he found no bumps or bruises. No wear and no tear. "When I saw your beautiful hair laying a trail on the ground I knew something was wrong. So I followed it until I came upon you and them."_

 _"So I rescued you."_

 _"My hair?" She asked._

 _"Your red hair." He said._

 _She then collapsed, but Minato was there to catch her. He picked her up in a bridal carry and leapt into the trees to take her back to Konoha._

 _Never again did Kushina criticize her hair. Never again was she alone. She found her best friend and her closest companion that night. One she'll never stop loving._

 _The End._

Naruto looked down at his group of hooligans and found all of them sleeping except for Jellal, whose heavy eyelids were testing his resolve.

"Did you enjoy the story Jellal?"

Jellal fought through sleepy eyes and looked up at Naruto. "Yes." He answered, "That's the first story I heard told from the victim's perspective and not the hero's. I definitely want to be a mage like Minato."

Naruto smiled at the statement. His father is always a good example. "Minato is a good man to be like."

"But I have a question for you Naruto-nii." Jellal said. "About Minato."

Naruto motioned for Jellal to continue, "Well when it came to most of the characters in the story you always included some sort of detail. Kushina's purple eyes and red-hair or the big brothers height for example. But when it came to Minato, you never gave a detail. We don't know what he looks like at all."

Naruto's brow raised half in astonishment and half in pride. Out of the corner of his eyes he could of sworn he saw Rob smile from the question also. Many of the old man's stories had been the center of scrutiny from the blue haired boy sitting in front of him, much to the ire of the other children that just wanted to enjoy the tale. Now did Naruto leave out details purposefully? Yes. Kids are usually so engrossed into the stories they don't pay any attention to the small things. Jellal truly caught him off guard with the question.

"Really? I didn't notice. My bad. Haha." Jellal's eyes sharpened and Naruto began to regret his choice of words.

"Naruto-nii~ that's not an answer."

"Ask me again some other time Jellal. As of right now, you need to head to sleep. It's late." With a huff and a puff Jellal reluctantly agreed to let it go for now. He moved up to Naruto's left side where Erza and Simon have taken residence. He snuggled next to Simon and Naruto used his natural body heat to keep all of them warm. With there being no way to purposefully control the temperature of the environment, the tower can alternate between sub-zero cold to molten lava hot. But on those nights people are afraid of freezing to death, they cuddle up to keep warm.

Soon enough Naruto heard the steady breathing and rhythmic heartbeat of Jellal signaling that he was entering sleep.

"Were they your parents?"

Rob was quiet. Very quiet. He often enjoyed interacting with the children and telling the great adventures of his old team when they were all together. But he only has so many stories to tell and with the children wanting a new story every day over the past three years, his adventures have begun to dwindle.

So when the kids asked Naruto for a story he very humbly (and very thankfully) handed their night time story over to him. But when Naruto mentioned the main character having red-hair, having the last name Uzumaki -which is a _real_ clan and not some make believe stuff that some people out their ignorantly believe- and Naruto mentioning a few months back that he always wished he had red-hair, it was pretty obvious. Originally, everyone believed that Naruto said he wanted red hair because Erza was having a bad day and wanted to cheer her up but Rob realized though that there was a much deeper reason for that.

And with Naruto choosing this particular story and not an adventure he has been on himself, it had to be something close to his heart.

"And I was just over here thinking that Jellal was intuitive."

With a hearty chuckle Rob's body relaxed and his cheeks turned upwards.

"What can I say. It was a hunch... But you never did answer Jellal-kun's question."

Naruto glanced up at the blank ceiling and allowed memories to take over his thoughts. Different moments of his life entered his mind's eye before fleeting just as quickly.

There was a couple of reasons, but the first one he was embarrassed to say. Having no parents or guardians when he was younger made him jealous of others who had parents. Of others who could listen to the stories of how they met, or go home and have dinner waiting for them.

It makes him feel as if he was bragging. He knows that this is probably a childish way to think. A mental relic to a long time ago. But it was a reason, albeit a somewhat selfish one. And one that he wants to keep to himself.

"I wanted the kids to be able to place themselves in tou-san's position. If I didn't describe what he looked like then they would have an easier time of putting themselves in his position. Immersion. Every kid wants to be the hero and I just provided the story."

An image of the Hokage monument flashed in his eyes. "I was an orphan. I never knew my parents. Not even what they looked like. Not even their names. But I always looked up to the Yondaime, Minato Namikaze. The strongest of the Hokages." Naruto stifled an ironic laugh at the situation. "Who knew that the man I looked up to most was my father you know?"

Naruto looked back at Rob. "In some weird way, my father was always with me, guiding my actions without ever being there. I just wanted to share a little bit of that with them - give them a role model to look up to."

Rob stared at him with a look of… disbelief? "You underestimate yourself Naruto-kun. They might already have a role model and they might be snuggled up to him right now."

The conversation ended with those parting sentences and Rob turned away drifting off into sleep. Naruto's sky blue eyes were looking in the cell. Then equally as fast he was looking at the water that rested at his ankles in his mindscape. He looked up and stared into the opened gate that houses the greatest of all of the demons. But in there was not the strong and powerful Kyuubi that Naruto has come to know as Kurama. Instead there was a husk of the great demon. And instead of the nine ferocious tails only three limply rested on the floor.

"Don't worry Kurama." Naruto said partially talking to Kurama, wondering if he could hear Naruto at all, and partially talking to himself. "I'm going to save you… and those kids too."

"Believe it."

 **x.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.x**

When the brutality of his existence haunts his dreams, Jellal usually finds himself awake, staring at the ceiling in an unfocused stupor- simply allowing his mind to wander through questions that have always plagued him.

What is a family?

What is Jellal's purpose?

Will he ever learn magic?

Why does he think the way he does?

And most often, including today, he thinks to himself: 'Why can't I just go to sleep?'

But for now, his inquisitive mind has been thinking about that first question: What is a family? Fantasies of his parents come to life. Both having blue hair, living in a small house overlooking some type of landmark. Both wielding incredible magic and patiently waiting to teach it to their son. Both having the same tattoo etched on their face, showing it to be less like some phenomena and more like a clan symbol. Like the red-hair of the Uzumaki's. An identifier if you will. The symbol of Fernandes...

 _'No'_ he thought to himself. That's just... no. He shakes the thought out of his head but the question still remains. It's a question he has asked himself often these past three years. And to this day, he still has no feasible answer.

A loud snore caused Jellal to turn. Naruto entire body was still except for his head - always turning, bending, and twisting to odd angles. Even in his sleep the man had an abundance of energy.

Jellal turned back to the ceiling. Being an orphan is very strenuous. Not having anyone to teach him how to read and write made it near impossible for him to learn. Having no one to turn to to ask the important questions in life caused him to lag behind. But, most importantly, not having anyone with whom he can talk to or confide in or... to be loved by, well, the feeling is indescribable. The way it made him feel was, well...

He'll confront those feeling some other time.

When he arrived at the tower, he didn't know what to expect. He was grabbed from his village, but when he arrived at the tower he didn't feel anything.

No sadness, no confusion, no pain. Nothing really.

He knew no one from that village would miss him. And he knew he wouldn't miss them either. Many on the ships were crying or praying for a savior, but Jellal just accepted his fate. He moved forward.

The jailers threw him into whatever cell was available. A more literal than figurative statement, but it was within this cell that he met Erza and Rob. The former being the first friend he ever had and the latter being the first mentor. It didn't come without its own share of difficulties, Jellal didn't know how to be a friend or how to be a student. He knew how to survive. How to be alone, but never in a group-

Another loud snore and Jellal turned back again, this time stifling a small chuckle at the angle of Naruto's head. But he didn't turn back to the ceiling, he just continued to stare at the whiskered blonde. Wondering.

Naruto was the last to join the group, a few years after everyone else. He arrived pretty badly beaten up, almost as if the jailers saw him, scooped him up while he was bleeding out, and brought him back here. But, even without medicine, the man made a full recovery, except for the strange markings on his left arm, he was back to new in only a few days.

The blonde was certainly different. Maybe different wasn't the right word. He was... unique! Being in a place where most people's only goal is self-preservation, Naruto seemed more genuinely interested in Jellal than himself.

On the night he arrived, everyone else was fast asleep but not Jellal. He was too intrigued to catch some Z's. The markings on his stomach, the strange tattoo, and the vastness of his wounds were like honey to a bear. He couldn't help himself. He still remembers the day like it was yesterday...

 _Dark brown met sky blue yet neither pulled away. The studied each other. They watched each other. Both were curious and both were unflinching._

 _"Oi, oi." The blond man said. He wasn't the pale blond that Sho was. It was more like a golden blond, reminiscent of the sun. "Whatcha lookin at Gaki?"_

 _"Uhhhhh. Ow! That hurt!" A single tanned hand was outstretched. The point of his middle finger extended._

 _Jellal furiously rubbed his nose. It wasn't hurt but, if the scarlet dusting his cheeks has anything to offer, it wasn't something he wanted to repeat._

 _Naruto used his arms to prop himself up and met Jellal's glare with amusement. He ran a hand through his blond locks and looked at his left arm as he felt a slight itch. He looked away before looking back in surprise._

" _WHA- WHA- WHAT THE HELL IS THIS!?" Naruto looked at Jellal and pointed an accusing finger. He opened his mouth to say something, but held back. The blond took a moment to look around his surroundings. "Where the hell am I?" He asked, "And who are you?" He threw in as an afterthought._

 _Jellal either didn't choose to respond or didn't notice Naruto said anything, so Naruto flicked him on the nose again._

 _"Hello~ Anyone there?"_

 _Jellal had a small look of surprise before regaining his stoic facade again. "Umm- ye-yeah. Sorry. You're in the Tower of Heaven." he said dryly, going over his preplanned script for newcomers._

 _Naruto looked around his surroundings once again and noted the bleak ceiling, the concrete floor and the rags called clothes everyone, including himself, seems to be wearing._

 _"The Tower of Heaven huh?" He said in a mocking nature, "What a terrible name."_

 _"Yea it isn't aptly named."_

 _Naruto looked back at the kid in surprise. "What are you like eight years old? Why the hell are you using words like 'aptly'?" Jellal blinked. Then blinked again. He looked back at Naruto whom he realized was patiently waiting for an answer._

 _"Because it's part of my vocabulary...?" They both stayed for a moment before Naruto's lively laughter echoed around the cell. Jellal, worriedly, glanced over at his friends to find them still sound asleep, albeit surprisingly._

 _"Then you should have heard the way I talked when I was eight years old Gaki." Naruto planted his palms into the floor and, to Jellal's surprise, lifted his whole body up and turned so his whole body is facing him._

 _"So my name is Naruto. What's your name kid?"_

 _"I'm Jellal."_

 _"Nice to meet ya Jellal!" In a way of introduction, Naruto pumped out his fist yet Jellal recoiled back, fear in his eyes. Jellal stared at Naruto's fist, then his eyes. A spark of confusion lit up in Naruto's sky blue eyes before understanding took over. Given the rags for clothes, he should of realized that this wasn't a very nice place, and a scrawny kid like him probably got attacked._

 _Naruto retracted his fist before he bumped his fist with his own fist(?). What?_

 _He bumped it again. Was he testing him?_

 _Oh._

 _Naruto held out his fist again and Jellal bumped it with his own._

" _Now this may seem weird but can I see your right hand." Jellal kind of sat there and stared at Naruto for a second before hesitantly giving him his right hand._

 _His curious side outweighing his cautious, Jellal gave the man what he asked for._

 _Naruto took Jellal's right hand and opened it up from the fist that is was to reveal his palm. Along the palm was a long shallow cut which recently scabbed over. Naruto looked at it for a second before running the placing his right palm over it. He applied just the slightest of pressure and Jellal winced slightly. Barely noticeable to someone who hasn't been trained to see the unseen._

 _When Naruto removed his palm he noticed that the scab was still there and looked down at it. "That's weird." he said before placing his palm over it again. He still had some magic in his system._

 _Once Naruto hovered his hand over Jellal's again, a pleasant warmth rushed over him. It was calming, comforting even. It was a wonderful contrast to the cold night._

 _Jellal almost got lost in the feeling- in the warmth._

 _Curious as to what Naruto was doing, he looked at the minuscule space between his hand and Naruto's and he noticed it. A light green glow was emitting from Naruto's hand and only one word came to mind!_

 _'Magic!'_

 _A moment later Naruto moved his hand away and Jellal glanced down at his palm. The light sting that always comes with a freshly scabbed over cut has disappeared. *Poof* gone._

 _He poked and prodded the non-existent cut but he found no pain. No agony. Sugoi._

 _"Was that magic? Your magic?!" Jellal felt as if he was yelling. He never before raised his voice in his entire life. But this is magic, He has never seen magic before!_

 _"That was just a little bit of healing magic I picked up here and there. It is god-awful to learn which is why many people don't bother to learn it. But my teammate Sakura-chan forced me to learn it because 'I am a danger to myself and everyone around me.'"._

 _Naruto gained a gleeful smile. "But it's nothing too crazy! You should see all of my other magic!"_

And thus the night went on. Jellal, enthralled with the stories and the prospect of meeting someone with magic, asked question after question and gave insights where he could. And Naruto, happy to tell this child about his amazing adventure, talked as long as Jellal wanted. Well into the night and early into the day.

Naruto is open to questions, forthcoming with answers and oddly trustworthy. The blond actually listens to what Jellal has to say. When he needs someone to talk to, Naruto is there with a kind ear.

But why? Jellal had been surrounded by adults for many years of his life, so why was Naruto different? His logical side ticked at that question but it could never settle on an answer.

Just who is Naruto Uzumaki to Jellal?

His thoughts drifted to something like an older brother, but it was like trying to put a cube into a hole meant for a triangle, it just didn't quite fit all the way in. Damn him for being a logical thinker.

He'll have to ponder the question later, for now he has something else to think about.

Sho came to him a few days ago, claiming to of found a way out of this 'heaven'. An escape route in the form of an abandoned vent. Jellal investigated it himself and he came to the same conclusion.

As the elected leader of the group he made the final decision, but everyone is on board. They all want to get out of here and send back help, yet something inside of him is telling him to tell Naruto. _Screaming_ at him to tell Naruto, but that analytical side of his brain likes to whisper in his ear.

'He can claim that 'he didn't know' if we get caught.'

'If we get caught then he won't be racked with guilt for allowing us to go.'

'He would be amazed when we get out and send back help. We'll be the hero's.'

So, in the end, the group made the decision to escape. The less people that know the better.

Later that day Naruto and Jellal were assigned to unload the ships and he. was. ecstatic. He took careful time to analyze possible hiding spots before they finished up and were sent to do their basic duties. The whole time he made sure to make quiet conversation with the boisterous Naruto-nii to steer off any suspicion.

They then went to sleep after hearing the story of Minato Namikaze, the Greatest Hokage, and as his eyes fluttered closed after a round of questions about the Kyuubi no Kitsune and the Yondaime, Jellal knew that a full day from then, his life was going to change for the better. As Naruto would say:

"Believe it."

 **x.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.x**

Naruto slowly moved his arms out of the children's grasp, all the while sliding each one gently back into place to prevent them from waking back up. Once done and confident, he crept to the gate, and using a thin piece of metal he broke off of one of the locks from the crates, he picked the lock on his door.

It creaked and groaned as he pushed it aside. "Shhhh. Shut up gate." He whispered to the wind, annoyed at the sound. When he forced it open just enough, he exited the cell and slid it back shut.

Using his decade of training and real world application, he carefully descended the stairs and navigated the Tower. Sadly, due to the magic suppressor seal on his left arm -that he is surprised anyone in this godforsaken place knew how to create- he can only use a small portion of his magical power. Never before in his life has he been as thankful for being an Uzumaki and jinchūriki than right now.

As each day passes by, he gathers more and more. Albeit, each day it is such a miniscule amount even Lee would deem it useless, but it was something. A year long snowball effect.

But this gigantic fucking Lacrima has been making it more and more difficult. Constantly stifling his eternano. Constantly making his life more difficult. And it's the sole reason he hasn't been able to heal Kurama yet. That, and the seal.

So this is why magic has been off limits for him, even as he sneaks around this place. He's been having to store it and protect is like a mother doting over her children. But, as of today, his child has matured. He has obtained just enough to, hopefully, transport himself, the kids, and Rob-jiji back to shore.

Probably.

If he can figure out where the 'shore' is. His last memory before coming here was a giant explosion, then darkness, then Jellal staring right up at him. He has no idea where he is.

And getting lost at sea with six children, and old man, and himself is not his definition of a good time.

Thus, he has put all of his shinobi training to stealthily make his way to the harbor.

Now, he is no Kakashi. Or Sasuke. Or Sakura, or Shikamaru, or Shino, or Neji or any of the so called 'non-stupidly-boisterous shinobi who can, in fact, have some tact,' as Tsunade-baachan put it. In fact being sneaky in general reallyyyy isn't his strong suit. But hey, if he could hide from the shinobi chasing him down after an epic prank in his own village, then he could sneak past some half-assed guards who would rather be out pillaging than doing their job.

If it was just Naruto, it would be simple. He wouldn't even need to kill anybody. But that's not the case. He has to figure out which way to go and how to create a safe path for the children. How to circumvent the security. How to prevent them from following them once they get away. A lot of things to take into account.

But in the grand scheme of things, it really isn't so bad. Naruto's had to do much more with much much less. With the things he did for Konoha. The acts he committed in the name of 'Peace.' He knows he will find a way.

He knows.

 **x.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.x**

Naruto uncomfortably held his hands over his ears as he seeked to return to his peaceful sleep. He tried having them over. He tried having them in. Nothing worked.

"I'm trying to sleep here!" He hollered out, "Keep it down!" he said again to the children, all who looked at each other as one mischievous idea came to their minds.

"DOGPILE!"

"DON'T YOU GU-" A small chlid size body collided with his stomach, forcing his sentence into a hard stop. Closely following the first, five more bodies knocked the remaining air out of his lungs and any chance of getting more sleep.

Milliana, the smallest of his group stood over him, her eyes glinting with mischief.

"Don't do it." He warned and he mostly meant it, but that warning fell on deaf ears, and she did what only one other person in the entire world ever did to him.

She pet his whiskers.

He wanted to purr. He really did. A small side effect of having a giant fox in his stomach is that it made his whiskers sensitive. Gosh, he is lucky that Kurama is in a coma right now. That fucking demon would never let him live it down.

Naruto continued to hoot and holler, all the while demanding to be released until the work bell sounded, and only then did they _reluctantly_ decide to release him.

The rest of the day was not special. He went about his work like usual. He talked to the kids like usual. The guard picked on the prisoners like usual. And Naruto, as much as he hates to admit it, needs more time. He wants to get out of here. God, he wants it so bad, but he just can't. Not yet at least.

 _"You can think on your feet." Kakashi-sensei told him, "In fact, you can do it so well that in any hopeless situation, you would be the person I would turn to. You're just like your mother in that way. But when it comes to a plan... to leading a team..." He motioned around the room to his unconscious squad, all under recovery from the mission. "You need to take a step back and think."_

It wasn't until Naruto got back to his cell did things get weird. The kids were somewhere between tired and anxious with an underlying hint of excitement. Very weird. Now, just like anyone after a hard days labor, they would be tired. But they would never be fidgety.

"You guys doing alright?" Naruto asked. "You guys are being weird."

Erza was the first one to make eye contact and respond, "Yea! Of course! Why wouldn't we be Naruto-nii?"

"Well I don't know. You're the ones being weird."

"No, we're not being weird." Simon chimed in, "You're the one being weird."

"Am not." Naruto responded.

"Are too!" Milliana then responded.

"Am not!"

"Are too!" The group chorused.

"Ughh." In exasperation, Naruto ran his finger through his hair. His spiky locks have grown much longer than he was accustom to, and everyday he wishes for a pair of scissors or a hair tie to put it back with so it isn't always resting in his eyes.

But his hair seemed to of copied his personality, because it seems to do whatever it wants.

With a sigh of reluctance, Naruto decided it was probably best to catch up on some of his lost sleep. He found an angle on the wall that would provide the least amount of cramps in his neck and back, and he closed his eyes.

As his consciousness faded in and out, he smiled. A small gentle smile touched his features. To think a group of kids would get a veteran like himself to go through all this trouble.

 **x.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.x**

There was no alarm clock. No sunlight breaching through curtains to wake him. No guardian hovering over him shaking him awake. It was Jellal's will that kept him awake. A need that burned deep inside him that even without sleep, has kept him wide awake.

Gently, he shook Erza awake. Her own brown eyes slowly opened and fluttered to remove the drowsiness. He put a finger to his lips to signal quiet and the duo went around waking everyone else.

Soon enough they all were gathered around in a circle. They all knew the plan, and they all knew the risks. Each one burned with determination and the unspoken message reverberated.

 _'Time to be free.'_

 **x.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.x**

Naruto licked his lips in anticipation. He could smell the succulent taste of the broth and imagine the smooth yet firm texture of the noodles. Steam rose up from the bowl and washed over his face and the man just couldn't help himself.

"~Ahhhhh Ramen~" he said as he took that first anticipated bite.

"~Oooooooh Naruto~" Naruto heard, and with noodles hanging from his mouth he looked around the restaurant. No one in the seats and Teuchi and Ayame were nowhere in sight.

"~Oooooooh Naruto." Again he was called, but it sounded like it was coming from his... noodles? His weary eyes looked down and... there. A noodle moved. Not drift mind you.

Moved.

"Naruto." It mouthed and Naruto fell out of his chair.

"Naruto!" It chanted.

"Wha-What do you want from me!" Naruto exclaimed as he was crawling away.

"NARUTO!"

Drenched in sweat, Naruto woke up in a rush. He breathed deeply, regaining his bearings while another pair of hands grasped his shoulders and balanced him.

"Naruto." Rob said, releasing him from his grasp. "The children. They are gone."

"Wha-what?" Naruto asked still half-asleep. Hell, he could still be dreaming.

"The children. They're gone."

Naruto looked around the barren cell once. Then again. He peeked behind Rob just to make sure that he wasn't pulling a prank on him.

When Naruto let out a breath, Rob sat back down, perplexed. Unsure of what side of Naruto has emerged from hibernation.

Naruto sat for a moment with only one thought in mind- he owes Kakashi-Sensei an apology. If Naruto was as troublesome as these kids can be- how did the man ever survive?

Naruto stood up, stretched his legs, cracked his neck, popped his fingers and approached the door.

"Where are you going?"

Naruto looked back at Rob, a coy smile on his face. "Me? I'm gonna go save those kids. I'm gonna kill them when I find them, but I am gonna save them first." With those parting words, Naruto opened the door.

The kids never locked it behind them.

Naruto pushed the door open and locked it behind him before taking off down the stairs. And then halting on those same stairs. This would be the way he would go if _Naruto_ was trying to escape, but that's not the case. The guards may all half-ass their jobs, but they still do them.

Wait. Who says the kids are even trying to escape? They could be going for some extra food or something. He dialed back his thinking even more.

 _"Look underneath the underneath."_

Why tonight? Why this morning?

 _'The boats.'_ Naruto thought. They would be departing soon and they know the way back to shore. There will be plenty of space and hiding spots, and it is the best shot _if they were trying to escape._ There are a lot of assumptions being made.

So how the hell is he supposed to find the kids if he doesn't even know what their plan is?

He debated the question. Shadow clones first came to mind but the seal will stop that in its tracks. He can make maybe one. Maybe.

Wait. Naruto smiled. That's it!

 _'I can't say that this is my best idea, but, well, it's the only shot I got.'_

And with that though in mind, Naruto took off down the stairs.

 **x.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.x**

*Knock, Knock*

Two guards were sitting in their chairs in the main control room. They both looked at each other, confused at the noise and already pissed off for drawing the short straw for night duties.

"Well? What are you waiting for? Go answer it." The shorter one said to the larger man, as if forgetting the man was twice his size and could pass for a juvenile behemoth.

"Fuck you." The bigger one said as he stood up and approached the door. He opened it and found a blond man in their guard robes standing there.

"Well... What do you want?"

With a large thump the bigger man plummeted to the floor with a thin piece of metal sticking out of his forehead. The shorter man stood up, alarmed at the death of his fellow guard. But before he could do anything, Naruto was there, faster than the man could see, and in one smooth motion, the man's body crumpled to the ground. His neck broken and eyes wide.

Naruto took a seat in the previously occupied chair and looked at the keyboard and computer screen. He scrolled through a images.

 _'Ocean view. Ocean view. Ocean view. Guess they were more careful than I first thought.'_ Seems as if they didn't want any ships to come snooping around without them knowing. He continued to scroll and found more cameras pointed at key areas: the docks, the cafeteria, the loading bay, storage area, guard quarters, so on and so forth. All good information but nothing he needed. He guesses he will just have to wait in the meantime.

Be patient.

He searched the dead guard's body and found nothing useful minus one walkie talkie. He put it into the pocket of the uniforms pants before searching around.

 _'What's this here?'_ He asked himself as he walked over to a door in the corner. He grabbed the lock that hung on it. He didn't find a key on the guards bodies, not that it matters. It's an outward lock. He dipped into his shallow reserves and busted the lock off the door.

With a twist of the handle, the door opened.

Their armory.

They have a magical suppression seal that reduces a Jinchūriki's, A fucking Jinchūriki's, magical power to almost nothing but they don't have a seal on their own armory.

What kind of place is this?

He searched the room. It was wide and contained a variety of weapons, staffs, magical guns and what not, nothing that really interested the blond. But he did find one interesting thing...

A giant red scroll

 _His_ giant red scroll.

There were ink markings all over it, sheets of different theories on how to open it, all sprawled out in different peoples handwriting. Good to know they couldn't get through Ero-Sennin's Fūinjutsu lock.

He bit his thumb, put a few drops of blood here and there, a quick flicker of magic, and using his index, middle, and pinky finger, rotated the entire seal clockwise 76 degrees causing it to unlock.

He smiled to himself when it opened. Good to know they hadn't fucked anything up. He would of killed them _all_ if that happened. Naruto still hasn't figured out how Ero-sennin drew this lock. And if they messed it up he wouldn't be sure if he could get it back open. At least, not anytime soon.

Naruto rolled it open to the first seal and summoned the Fūinjutsu ink set. He's not sure how much time he has got, but he is going to make every second count.

 **x.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.x**

"This is group 4 reporting in from section 8. We found six kids attempting to escape through the boat. What would you like us to do?"

Naruto smiled a sad confusing smile. At one end, he is happy he now knows where the kids are. That makes the rest of his plan somewhat easier. But at the same time, he also wanted them to escape- to get away on their own merit. It would of made an amazing story.

Naruto knows one day they will have the competence and skill to do such a thing, yet today is not that day. So it's Naruto-nii to the rescue.

"Keep them there. I'll send a squad to pick them up and move them into the interrogation chambers. Once they are picked up you are to continue your route."

The guard understood and signed off the air. Naruto brought his hand up into his most famous seal and a second one of him popped into existence.

Both the original Naruto and the clone sagged in somewhat relief. happy to see that his copy didn't crumble into non-existence. He hadn't had much time to tweak the seal, and he was really hoping for three of him in total, but two would have to do.

The original smacked his left hand against his enormous red scroll and poof! The scroll disappeared into the newly made seal and with a nod to his clone, he took off out the door.

The clone smiled and took a seat. He crossed his legs and allowed his mind and eternano pool to drink in nature's magic. He won't be able to go full sage mode, not yet, but he might be able to achieve a partial mode. Give himself that slight boost he'll need.

 **x.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.x**

"Understood. Over and out" The leader of group 4 stated. He turned back to his squad as he put his walkie talkie back into its holster.

"Doesn't this seem weird?" The leader stated. The three men around him all nodded in agreement. But the leader doesn't know if they actually agreed or if it is their incessant habit of agreeing with what he says.

"Maybe we should send someone to check on them?" They nodded some more.

"Maybe, we should just kill the kids now. Sell their organs for some money? Right?"

"Yep."

"Sure."

"Sounds good boss."

"Maybe, and I mean maybe, you all should _think for yourself you nitwits!"_ They began to nod their heads in agreement before they realized what their squad leader said before glancing at each other, expecting one of them to take the lead.

"Idiots." The man sighed. "Bear, Crowley, you're with me. Copper, go call group six, have them stop by HQ." They nodded, not voicing their own opinions- if they even had any.

Copper ran off in another direction while the leader turned and walked over to the kids. They were just close enough so they always had an eye on them, but not far enough away to where they couldn't catch them if they ran.

But as he stands in front of them, he can see them twitching. He can see the finger biting, he can read how they hold themselves, he can see them shaking, literally and figuratively.

 _Good._

The more terrified the better.

"Let's be short and to the point kids. I am in a... generous mood tonight, but I don't want to play the guessing game to determine which one of you..." He made sure his finger traced over every kid and his own eyes met theirs just long enough to have their hearts forget to beat. "...decided to plan on escaping from this heaven we provide for you."

The leader withdrew his sword and allowed the sharp edge to clatter against the ground. He traced it against the ground slightly, allowing a slight hum to be heard. He could see the smallest of the children tremble even more.

"Now, if the higher-ups heard wind of an escape attempt, especially one that made it as far as you six have, then there would be hell to pay for everyone. But more importantly, there would be hell to pay for me, especially if we can't figure out how you guys managed to get past our patrols, cameras, and spotters. Now, if you guys decide to be cooperative, I'll only punish the one that came up with the idea. That sounds fair right?"

"Right boss."

"See! Even my subordinates think it's a fair deal."

The kids stayed silent. They were musing things over. Each one contemplating what they should do. What the right thing is to do. And the leader who asked the question? He waited. The only noise heard was the scraping of his sword and it was hypnotic in nature. Distracting and interrupting their focus.

"Alrighty." The leader began. He lifted his sword and angled it at-

"I did it!" The blue haired one exclaimed. He had his hand raised high in the air like an eager kid answering an easy question in class. Some looked toward him, but a couple kids chose to look away. Maybe a little frightened for their friend, maybe a little guilty. But what all the kids shared for that first half second... Surprise. "It was my plan. I was the one who convinced them to escape."

The leader smiled devilishly, "How cute. We have a kid playing hero." Jellal's mouth sputtered. "It's easy to see that you're this groups little leader with a hero complex that's going to get you killed, probably today too. "

"It was me."

The leaders gaze shifted and now a red haired girl stood this time. Her head was downcast and her legs were trembling.

"So then it was you." He half asked half questioned the red haired girl. With the culprit found- if she even was the real one- he saw no need to be here anymore. With his mind still pondering the conversation he had with HQ, he pulled out his walkie and called out to his men. "We narrowed it down to one. Regroup with us."

Static. No response from Copper and the others.

He waited a handful of moments for the response. He was tempted to signal them again. His own finger applying a slight pressure. Not enough to activate the button but enough to show his immediate reflex. To scream and shout at the ineptitude of his subordinates. But the only reason they wouldn't respond was if they couldn't.

If something happened to them. He turned to his last two men. "We need to move. Grab the girl."

The two men also withdrew their swords. The closest one to the group of kids strided forward to follow his squad leader's orders. The kids shrunk back, Jellal- either consciously or unconsciously- put Erza behind him and stood in front of the worried girl, but the man never got there.

While only a few steps away from the group, he stopped and fell to the ground. A single Kunai embedded into the top of his skull.

The kids scurried away from the corpse, all except one. Jellal, always having the analytical side of his mind running, stared at the knife in the man's head. He noticed the ring at the end of the handle, noticed that it wasn't made for cutting like you would a vegetable, but rather for a type of trained finesse that comes with experience.

"What are you doing!" The leader shouted at his last subordinate who stood stunned, "Get the kids and go!"

The man, shaken out of his stupor by the orders given, then also made his way to the kids.

Only to meet the same fate of his comrade.

The leader turned to stare at his now other dead subordinate in surprise and he wasn't the only one. The kids also looked stunned at what was happening. The group of five kids didn't know where to go. They didn't know if they were the next target. They were in an unfamiliar situation and all parties were a little bit frightened.

Except Jellal. He stood a few feet away still in his original position. Still calm and composed. No sweat dripping down his brow, no concern etched on his face. Just... peace.

From the ceiling, Naruto dropped down on top of the first dead subordinate with only the slightest murmur of feet hitting concrete. And when his shadowed eyes looked up, Jellal didn't see the cool ocean blue that he has come to know, but rather was met with a confrontational steel that didn't give. It drew a line and you did not cross that line. It knew what had to be done and with such a blistering intensity, it got done. Even the hallowed grasp of death couldn't stop it.

Naruto picked up the dead guards sword and lunged across the way at the leader who stood ready to parry. But the strength was surprising behind the blond man's attack. He was on the defensive very quick from his unrelenting offense. The leader could feel his defense being prodded like a dead frog under a microscope.

As the rust shaked off of Naruto's limbs. He became faster. More unrelenting. Stronger. Quicker. Better. Better than the man he was dueling with. Better than what he felt for a while. Then, Naruto smiled, savoring the intensity of combat even against a weak opponent like the one across from him.

The veteran missed the the art of combat this past year. But the nostalgia has come to an end. With a few more strikes, Naruto knew where the openings in the man's defense was, and with a couple of precise strikes, he opened it. He forced the man into an uncomfortable position and with one slice, the man's right arm came off at the elbow.

With the loss of his primary arm, the sword fell and Naruto struck his neck, and his head flew. His detached body slumped to the ground, the leader's blood dressed Naruto's new sword like a battle scar and the blond knew he just found himself a new temporary toy. It was nothing special, but it would make due.

Jellal saw the man's body slump to the ground- his head lulling and rolling away in retreat. He had watched the fight, saw how Naruto-nii's unrelenting offense overwhelmed the man, and stood frozen enthralled and surprised by the display. He never thought Naruto-nii, with his positive, caring, and let-me-help-you attitude, would be capable of doing such things.

Surprising to say the least. But what stuck with him, and what hovers between his conscious and subconscious right now, is those eyes. The steel. The determination. The wrath that was lying dormant waiting to bubble to the surface like a volcano erupting.

Even with all that he was seen, he didn't tremble in his figurative boots, nor was he sweating. In fact, the boy was smiling, happy to see the young man with old eyes. And Naruto felt the same. When his eyes finally met Jellal's, he smiled back.

Naruto opened his mouth to say something, but closed it just as fast. It continued to open and close, open and close, reminiscent to a gaping fish in water.

Jellal turned and looked over at his friends, who all remained frozen as well. Shock maybe? Or they could be just unsure of how to react to seeing Naruto act this way. Or just seeing three dead guards and the brutality of which the third one died.

Moving on his own, Jellal approached his friends. He... didn't know what to do. He didn't know what to say if there was anything to say at all. In surprise- at least to Jellal- they all turned when he got there, looked at him, reached for him, and Erza wrapped him in a tight embrace, one he returned. And then, everyone else joined in. An impromptu group hug showing the bond gained through surviving the experience.

And then it dawned on Jellal- this is real. He doesn't know if everyone else understands, but now there is no going back. Three guards, probably more, are all dead. They chose to do this. They chose this path, and now, they must pay the consequences.

They broke the hug, and Jellal didn't realize Naruto made his way over to them, crouching close by. He has the two kunai from before, strapped to his waist with the sword resting on the ground next to him. Naruto reached up and wiped away the blood he didn't realize was on Jellal's face.

Jellal could see the caged wrath in Naruto's eyes. A thin leash put on the forces that rage tyrannically inside. It frightened him, seeing a man kill three others with such relaxed ease, how could it not scare him? But his fear was outweighed by his sense of curiosity and a sense of wonder at what was just accomplished.

At the end of the day, Naruto just saved them. The methods- he remembers how frightened his friends were- were messy and complicated, yet simple. Effective for sure. But he protected them. Naruto did what had to be done.

"Y'all scared the shit out of me." Naruto said to the group, drawing all of their eyes to him, "And I'm sorry for what you had to see. And I don't know why you didn't tell me all of you were planning to escape, but we can talk about that later."

Jellal felt that last statement very hard. "There is no going back now. There are consequences to your actions, sometimes good and sometimes bad, and you have to live with them. In this case, tonight, it means we either escape, or we die. Which means you are going to see a lot more death and destruction. In order to get out of here I am going to have to do things I hope you kids will never have to do. But life is dirty. It isn't fair. You guys are the brightest young kids I have ever met and you were forced to see things that many adults would never experience, and it isn't fair.

Within Naruto's head, memories of Kakashi-sensei, Ero-sennin, everyone he has killed, and all of friends flashed to the forefront of his mind.

"Despite what you're about to see, magic is not evil. Nor is magic good. One of the greatest men I have ever known and probably the reason I am the man I am today, imparted some words of wisdom to me once. _Always look underneath the underneath._ There is a reason for everything. Just be sure you guys know your reason and your enemies reasons before you judge them."

He smiled, slicing through the seriousness of the moment. Like a broken trance, Jellal blinked, and Naruto began to speak...

 **x.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.x**

"I've got great news Rob-jiji." Naruto said from the other side of their prison cell. Rob looked up when he heard his name in surprise. He hadn't heard anyone approaching. The guard clothes certainly didn't match Naruto's disposition, but what he found even more surprising was the yellow eyes and the faintest hint of orange shadow over his eyelids.

With a flash of a toothy grin he continued, "It seems as if you're going to see your old buddy Macky sooner than you thought."

"The kids?" He asked first in a rush. Rob didn't see them anywhere. "Are they alright?"

"Yes. From what I know."

Rob approached the gate as Naruto unlocked it. He was still sore and still hurting. Rob wasn't sure how much fight he still had in him. "Please pray and tell that you didn't leave them somewhere to wait for us."

Naruto waved off the comment with a chuckle, "No, no, They're with the real me." Naruto said, "I'm just a clone."

"I'm happy to hear that." And Rob was truly happy to hear they were safe. They were certainly more important than he was. "But I'm not in my prime anymore."

Naruto shook his head at what Rob was getting at. Instead, the blond held up a key ring with dozens of individual keys laced on.

"Chances are, you won't need to fight."

 **x.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.x**

 **There it is! The end of chapter 1! This is just an idea that I have had floating in my head and I have been wanting to write a fanfiction story for the longest time!I don't know if it was a good idea starting with a crossover since I am going to have to find a way to merge two different stories into one but we'll see.**

 **Has anyone else had a odd time uploading stories before? I uploaded this chapter yesterday but a few hours later I got a message from GCAPDTL (Thanks again by the way! If it wasn't for you I certainly wouldn't of noticed and it would of been all the more embarrassing for me! I owe you one!) saying that there were no legible words or sentences. There were only random letters and numbers and what not. So I am going to re-submit this today and hopefully it will fix it. If anyone knows why it happened please do let me know!**

 **Also, on a side note, this is the first time I have written any sort of fighting/action scene, especially one that doesn't use any jutsu/magic, so I don't really know if it is good or not. I am hoping you guys had an easy enough time reading and understanding it!**

 **Lastly, this is a family based story! There will be some action but don't expect some every single chapter. Sorry to say.**

 **A special thanks to GCAPDTL for pointing out the craziness that was my first upload.**


	2. Hello!

_Blood._

 _The crimson liquid flowing freely._

 _Fire._

 _Scorched flesh filling the air._

 _Knife_

 _Penetrating the skull._

 _Explosion._

 _An opened chest cavity for all to see._

 _Drip._

 _Ruby colored life force falling from the ribs._

 _Life_

 _Watching a man's heart stop beating._

 _Gold_

 _A rotating circle._

 _Destruction_

 _A loss of control._

 _Death_

 _Darkness_

 _Darkness_

 _Darkness…_

 _"JELLAL!" Said a voice he knew but could not recognize. It was familiar yet he didn't heed the warning. He stood planted; Adrenaline was coursing through his veins. He could feel his body convulsing but his legs wouldn't move._

 _"MOVE!" He could feel his heart beating in his throat. His hazel eyes were locked onto a descending sword. Its razor sharp edge glistening in the artificial lights of the lacrimas strung up on the walls._

 _'JUMP' He told himself. He didn't plan on dying today!_

 _'ROLL' He yelled at himself._

 _'DODGE' He shrieked inward._

 _'DO SOMETHING!' And his body answered, just not the way he intended. His legs did not move. He made no effort to block. Jellal's only movement was his eyes closing as he waited for his life to end._

 _So when he was struck by something other than the blade, he thanked the gods for his astronomical luck. A metal clang reverberated his ears. It rattled for what felt like ages, and as the rattling came to a halt, he allowed his eyelids to part. He was met with a picture that will forever be burned into his mind's eye._

 _It was blood._

 _But it wasn't his blood._

 _In front of him stood a man. A plain looking person. It was one of the guards who tormented him every day. He donned the traditional garments of his enslavers. Nothing about him screamed evil or dangerous. Aside from his attempt to kill Jellal._

 _And on the ground laid his right arm still attached to the sword he almost killed Jellal with._

 _Now, the empty socket was home to a giant red waterfall. His vermilion life was finding new residence in a pool on the ground and like a scarecrow he stood frozen. The whites of his eyes was the only color he could see on the man's face._

 _It didn't take a genius to know that this man was dead._

 _Or dying._

 _A tanned arm suddenly entered his vision. Its fingers clenched into a tight fist and with the force given only to a protective parent, he launched the man's body. Its weight adding to the mountain of bodies resting a short distance away._

 _A lake of blood was beginning to encircle the dead men._

 _"Jellal." Naruto entered his vision. The grease and sweat from battle were forcing his blond locks to stick to his forehead. Blood from his enemies were staining his shirt and hair. He could see his mouth moving, speaking to him, but he couldn't concentrate on what was being said. He couldn't hear._

 _Naruto was doing something. A slight pressure made its way to the forefront of his mind. Naruto was wiping away the blood that lay on Jellal's face. His concerned blue eyes were inspecting his body. He was patting him down to ensure that he was alright._

 _At least physically alright._

 _Naruto's lips were still moving he noted. He hadn't realized he zoned out until Naruto's waving hand brought him back to the real world._

 _Suddenly, he felt warm. An arm wrapped around him and he was pulled into Naruto's bloody body. Bits and pieces of dialogue made his way into his ear drums._

 _"It's - Jel-l. - Mad- a -se to you a-d - -hat I -oul- get y-u guy-s -. I in-end to k-p it."_

 _"I intend to keep it."_

 _He pieced together the latter end of the sentence. Those five words reiterated itself within his skull.. Lacking any conscious effort, Jellal's hands grasped onto Naruto's damp shirt and refused to let go._

 _Unexpectedly, he felt someone latch onto his back. Then someone else. Then someone else until almost everyone he loved huddled around him in an impromptu embrace._

 _His life flashed into his mind as his brain tried to catch him up to speed. That near death experience shocked his body into a mandatory reboot._

 _And as he felt the different heartbeats of his family around him he only had one question in his mind._

 _What was he doing?_

 _His friends need him. Yet when his first near death experience caused his body to reduce to the functionality of a two year old, he caused everyone to be in danger. He froze. How does he intend to protect his friends in the future if a flashy sword and an overgrown man causes himself to wet his pants? How does he expect to become a mage if he can't handle a little danger?_

 _"I'm sorry." He whimpered to all. "I… froze."_

 _He could hear the comforting tone behind Naruto's words but could not comprehend what was being said. He could feel the sobs of his friends on his body. He closed his eyes and that man's face flashed into his mind. But all he could see was the missing arm and the tortured eyes._

 _Jellal wiped the image from his mind. Tried to, at least. It was persistent. He allowed his arms to go lax and to release the hold he had on Naruto. Maroon met sky blue eyes and he mustered all the ferocity that laid dormant in his body._

 _He looked down at the blood on his hands, his torn clothes, and the detached arm that rested on the ground._

 _Naruto's smile grew on his face. It was life in the graveyard that is the Tower of Heaven. The light in the darkness._

 _Naruto then stood up. It was as if the blond-haired man could read that he was ready to go on. To continue on their journey of freedom. A flash of red entered his eyes and there stood Erza, kindness was resonating in her eyes and a reassuring smile was plastered on her face. He returned the sentiment._

 _Thus they took off past the pile of bodies and blood. They were close to the harbor. Naruto said they would meet Rob there. And then they will escape this hell hole._

 _And hopefully get some real food in their stomachs._

 _But as they drew closer his stomach began to churn. Naruto said that there would be a lot of death. A lot of destruction. A lot of violence. Yet the only enemies he has faced so far are basic boots-to-the-ground soldiers._

 _No mages._

 _Which is why- Jellal thinks at least- Naruto hasn't been using his magic he told us about. He was saving it. Thinking ahead which doesn't seem to fit his personality._

 _It scares him to think that this has been the easy part._

 _"You've done well so far." A voice stated. It's source of the voice was from the walkie talkie Simon was tasked with holding. Naruto snatched it from the corpse of the dead leader he beheaded earlier._

 _"You've killed a lot of people. It shows that we have severely underestimated you. But worry not. We won't make that mistake again."_

 _Then the voice cut out, leaving the group to meddle in their own thoughts. A wide range of emotions ran through Jellal's heart._

 _'This has been them underestimating Naruto?'_

 _Even more emotions ran through Jellal's body but when they entered the next corridor, only one remained._

 _Horror._

 _They entered a giant room. Dozens of feet tall and wide. It was one of the work areas for the slaves based on the pickaxes, shovels, and carts lying around everywhere._

 _There, guarding the massive doors to the harbor were dozens of guards. Each one had a menacing look on their face. A sadistic smile with a promise to do harm. A group stood directly in front of the doors, horizontally lined to ensure their strikes don't hit their own people. Above them stood another group of guards; they stood on a freshly made wood floor. The smell of oak still held a faint trace in the air._

 _One of them must know wood make magic._

 _Which means... Mages. Just great._

 _And above them stood another group of possible mages, also on a new floor._

 _"It seems as if you have finally arrived." Said the man who stood at the forefront of the group._

 _That voice..._

 _The one from the mic._

 _"Kids." Naruto whispered to the group that stood around him. "Get behind me." And thus they did. Each one finding some angle to which they could still view everything._

 _"To think you would go through all of this trouble, kill all of those people, just to arrive here facing a force of which you can never comprehend."_

 _A single rose colored magical circle flared to life in his outstretched hand. One fireball, no larger that a baby's head, appeared and floated above his hand like a burning soul. He tossed it up and down like a child throwing up a baseball in an attempt to show off his magical prowess._

 _His dead black eyes met his and each one of the kids, searching for that glowing realization of impending doom that causes his heart to warm. But only when he met Naruto's eyes did he meet someone who wasn't inherently afraid of him. Instead, he stared back with eyes full of malice._

 _The man didn't like that. He really didn't like Naruto staring back at him with completely unperturbed gaze. He hated that! "We gave you a purpose! We gave you a life! Before we arrived you were nothing but flies with no purpose and direction. But when you were working here you were bringing about a new world! A world of peace and prosperity that our lord and god Zeref would bring about with his resurrection!"_

 _"We gave you clothes! We gave you food! If it weren't for u-"_

 _"SHUT UP!"_

 _The man recoiled from the declaration. The tone didn't give the man a choice._

 _Naruto's fists were clenched. His nails digging into his skin like razors. Jellal could see the whites of his knuckles._

 _Curious, Jellal peeked around Naruto's legs and looked up at the whiskered face of his saviour. Usually he was met with the reassuring cerulean eyes that reminded him of a calm ocean or an open blue sky. But in its place was red slits that reminded him of the eternal fire of hell. Ferocious._

 _"I don't have time for your maniacal speech! I have heard enough of them in my lifetime! Move out of my way or I'll move you!"_

 _"Y-You INSIGNIFICANT WHELP! How DARE you! I am going to enjoy spitting on your corpse!" And with those parting words a rose colored seal appeared in front of the man's outstretched palm. His companions followed suit and each guard had some sort of seal aimed at the group of seven._

 _Everyone in the group waited with bated breaths. Dozens of different kinds of spells soared in their direction. Jellal could feel the sheer destructive power of their combined might. He could smell the concoction of magic spiraling his way. His friends were whimpering, But when he looked up at Naruto, he noticed he was completely calm. His eyes were closed. He took in one deep breath before whispering:_

" _ **Yōgan"**_ _, A molten red seal appeared in front of his mouth,_ " _ **Ryū no hōkō!"**_ _(Lava Dragon's Roar!)_

 _The center of a volcano was the first thing that came to mind when the searing heat assaulted his body. The sense of cold fear that enveloped him when he entered the room burned away at the feeling of Naruto's roar. How can someone possess such power?_

 _Does everyone possess this much power?_

 _The rotating column of lava met their attacks head on. As the sheer destructive power of both forces combined a blinding light erupted in the room. Jellal turned away unless he wants to be blinded for life._

 _And while he could not see what happened, he could feel the overwhelming force, smell the scorched bodies and could hear the screams._

 _The force disappeared first. Then the screams shortly after. But the smell never left. And it never will._

 _It took a moment for the light to cease to shine through his eyelids. When it finished, he opened them and he and his friends stared on. Their mouths agape. There, what was once a room of work, is now burnt black. Bright red flames licked the walls and bodies of the now deceased. Not a single mage who was guarding the door survived. Each one. Dead._

 _"Naruto-nii." Simon called out to the dragon slayer. He had collapsed onto one knee, using his right arm for balance. His chest was heaving and sweat was creating a pool around him._

 _For the first time since he met the man he seemed exhausted to the point of collapse. He has seen him tired of course! But never about-to-faint exhausted!_

 _The group dashed over to Naruto. Erza grasped his left arm, the one resting on his left leg as he had his right arm planted on the ground to keep him balanced, in a way to help him up._

 _"Naruto-nii..." Jellal heard Sho say, "A-are you okay?"_

 _Naruto continued to huff as his lungs burned his insides_

 _"Erza*cough*-chan. Be a darl*cough*ing and help me up."_

 _With the help of the red-head, Naruto stood up, gasping in as many deep breaths as he could to regain some of his energy back._

 _"I'm ah..." Naruto breathed in again and wiped away some lava that escaped the corner of his mouth, "Yes. I'm alright. Just a little tired is all. I haven't used that amount of magic in over a year and that just drained all of the magic in my dragon slayer lacrima."_

 _The blond looked around the room, and smirked ever so slightly at the destruction, as if proud of himself. "I might of used a little bit too much though."_

 _'A little' Jellal thought. In front of all of them there was no wall. No man-built blockade. What was once a wall and a door that made up one side of the room, is nothing more than... nothing. That side of the room and the adjacent hallway that connected to the harbor was gone. Completely incinerated._

 _Naruto strode forward and the lava like a faithful servant parted for its king. Nature itself parted for him._

 _And as the group made their way forward, the stench of seared flesh polluted the air. The farther they walked, the more corpses they came across. The more corpses, the denser the pollution._

 _Jellal tried to look away. God knows he didn't want to see what he saw. But his curiosity was the bane of his existence, and he found himself looking at the charred corpses they passed. Most were blackened to the extent their own mothers couldn't recognize them. But there were a rare few who casted magic in a last ditch effort to survive. Their only reward was a few places on their body that showed the life that once existed._

 _Half burnt faces were stuck in a silent scream. Their brains were completely exposed to everyone._

 _If Jellal were to ask one hundred people, 'What is the worst thing you have ever seen in your entire life?' all of their answers combined wouldn't come close to what Jellal has viewed so far today._

 _And today has yet to end._

 _So when they exited the room he was thankful. Seeing all of that death, all of that pain and suffering, was something truly atrocious. But he can only imagine how Naruto-nii feels being the man who brought it about._

 _He's gonna have to ask Naruto how he stays sane when they escape._

 _But when they entered the next room, his belief in escape, again, began to dwindle._

 _The Zeref worshipers, what seemed like hundreds of them stood waiting for their group. Each one donning a look of surprise which then faded to anger. Naruto stepped forward, his two kunai held at the ready as he fought his own exhaustion._

 _Each jailer was poised to strike yet they did not move. Each one was as planted as a tree, waiting for Naruto to step forward and strike._

 _It stayed like this for moments. Neither side made a motion to fight._

 _And it continued to stay like this._

 _Jellal thought it was weird. Naruto was tired. They had an overwhelming force yet they stay still, refusing to budge._

 _Wait... Are they holding a line?_

 _Jellal looked up at Naruto who had a smile on his face. A smile?_

 _It wasn't until the stomping of feet behind him did he unglue his eyes. Out of the corridor they entered from came the stampede._

 _All of the slaves charged forward._

 _Every. Single. One_

 _Each wielded different different tools -pickaxes, shovels, and the swords of the slavers they killed- in their hands and blood on their clothes. They charged forward with an angry zeal in their eyes._

 _Straight into the awaiting jailers._

 _The few mages they had mixed in their lines attempted to kill as many of the charging foes as possible._

 _Naruto waited until his fellow slaves struck before he took off with Jellal and the kids. Using his two kunai, he parried the assortment of weapons that were thrown his way and slashed, stabbed, and killed every jailor that stood in his path._

 _He continued this pattern of block, strike, run, and protect until they reached an assortment of boxes that were unloaded off the ships. Naruto looked toward the boats and noticed the slaves were beginning to storm the ships, hoping to escape from this so-called Heaven._

 _But Naruto paused and Jellal could see him think for a moment, all the while his gaze was still locked. The blue haired boy wondered why they didn't go aboard._

 _"Wait here." Naruto said to the group but was met with the confused eyes._

 _"Why?" Wally asked. "The boats are right there! We can escape!"_

 _"And we will." A thumbs up was the only reassurance they received from Naruto. "I need to find Rob first!"_

 _But before any of them could continue their questioning, Naruto's eyes turned yellow with horizontal slits replacing his pupils. He looked toward the site of the war and whispered under his breath, "Fuck."_

 _Naruto handed one of the kunai over to Jellal before he took off into the crowd, leaving six kids to stare at themselves and hide from the onslaught of the war._

 _For a while they were safe. They were hidden from the jailers and none of them seemed to want to venture out to find more of the slaves. But, of course, the goal of the slaves was not to kill. No, the goal was to escape. Thus when they had a chance, they dashed for the boats which it made it only a matter of time before the slave numbers began to dwindle down and for the guards to make a push for the boats._

 _Bus soon enough a single jailer noticed, recognized, and approached them._

 _"You know…" The man began, "Those mages your friend incinerated, those were my friends.." The man's words held distasteful vehemence. Each one dripping with anger and hatred. "They won't have the ability to see the promise land that Zeref will create! And for that reason..." he licked his lips in a way that made Jellal cringe, "I am going to make sure his friends don't see what freedom is like."_

 _A maniacal glint shone in his eyes as he lifted his staff, which had no magical power remaining, to strike._

 _Jellal has always been a thinker. He like to analyze things. He always thought before he spoke. And he made it a game to find connections other people didn't think were there. Ninety percent of the time, he was like this. But during that other ten percent, his analytical side shuts off, and he just… acts, no matter the odds. He did this earlier when he told the man that the plan was his, even knowing that he was going to be tortured_

 _And his analytical mind just shut off. Again._

 _Jellal, in an courageous attempt to defend his friends, ran at the man. The kunai sat in his hand the same way he saw Naruto wield it, but as he brought it up to block the staff he felt the overwhelming force blast him away into a pile of boxes._

 _"Jellal!" Erza cried out. As she watched the boxes to find some sign of movement to signal he is alive, the massive man stepped into her field of vision, effectively blocking her view. The kids creped backwards. All of them were frantically searching for an escape route of a weapon to defend themselves with. But it was only a matter of moments before their backs collided with the cold wall._

 _The man stood over them. His immense body casting a vast shadow that could cover a nation. His fingers grasped the handle of the blackened staff with streaks of blood rolling down the shaft. His knuckles turned white as he poised the weapon to strike, ready to crush skulls for no other reason than revenge._

 _As the killing intent struck the kids with the density of a dying sun they began to imagine the worst._

 _Until the man's pupils rolled into the back of his head._

 _He began to gurgle. He began to choke. Blood rolled out of the corners of his mouth as his dying body gave out on him. His body collapsed onto the ground as every sense of motor control and balance faded into nothingness._

 _There. Sticking to the man's back like a tick was Jellal. His small hand grasping a kunai that was impaled into the skull of the corpse. He yanked the kunai out. Red liquid squirted out, dousing Jellal's clothes and body._

 _He stood on the man's back and glared down as if he was the bane of humanity itself. No other emotion lived in his heart but hatred._

 _"Yami!" A man cried out in anguish from behind Jellal. The blue-haired boy spun, fully prepared to meet the new force head on. But as he faced the new threat, the rhythmic pulsing of his heartbeat attacked his eardrums. Everything seemed to change. Everything became sharper. Clearer._

 _He liked it._

 _He didn't think; he only reacted._

 _Jellal hopped off of the corpse he stood on and charged at the second foe. The kunai soared as he threw it from his hand, but he lacked the power and the muscle memory to fully utilize the tool. Thus gravity decided to rear its ugly head. Given the distance it slowly descended and the chest he was aiming for changed to a shot aimed for his stomach. The lack of speed made it easy to deflect._

 _Jellal rolled left and dodged a diagonal strike from the man's sword. As he slid to a halt the man was charging at him again, fully prepared to continue his assault. Lacking the danger sense that is only developed through years of training, he couldn't accurately devise a plan of attack against his foe._

 _He jumped backwards to avoid another strike and jumped back again to avoid a third._

 _This will be the only time he is thankful for his small body. He's a harder target to hit._

 _Jellal was hoping to keep the man distracted until Naruto came back. Upon realization of his limitations, he knew he couldn't kill him. He doesn't have the experience to fight a man of his size with his strength and dexterity._

 _Thus the goal changed. The goal changed into waiting for Naruto to come back so he could kill him like he did all of the others._

 _But he needed something. Anything to help delay this man and his onslaught. So in an attempt to gain a weapon, he made a dash for Naruto's kunai that laid a few feet from him. While he couldn't use it effectively, it was still something._

 _And something was better than nothing._

 _Ergo his body put as much force into his feet to propel him as far as he can. But as he picked up the kunai and turned, he found the sharp edge of a sword preparing to slice him in half. Sparks flew as the sword collided with the kunai. The owner of the sword found it reverberating back in his direction._

 _While the kunai Jellal held in his hand found a new place on his body._

 _A new home in his stomach._

 _Never before had he felt such pain. Such... agony. Crimson life force began to bubble and pour out of the hole in his stomach. He knew he was supposed to put pressure on the wound to stop the bleeding, but when he fingered the wound, everything screamed in pain. He touched the kunai but his body jerked in disapproval_

 _He looked over at his friends and saw their horror stricken faces. Too stunned to move._

 _Maroon eyes stared forward toward the ceiling. Jellal's hands hovered around the kunai embedded in his stomach, awkwardly searching for a place to stop the blood flow. The pain was the only thing his mind could concentrate on. Until a pair of auburn eyes entered his field of vision._

 _It was the man he was fighting._

 _"This is for Yami." He whispered, and the sword descended._

 _Jellal heard Naruto say that before someone dies, their life flashes before their eyes. Given that he was nine years old, he didn't expect that all that much would appear._

 _But he was wrong._

 _As if everything was moving at ten times the speed, every happy memory of his life appeared before his eyes. Ironically, they all took place in the Tower of Heaven. The first day he met Erza and Rob was the first to appear. Next was the day Simon arrived. His first fight with his best friend. The first bedtime story he ever heard. The day Shô arrived. The day Wally arrived. The day Milliana arrived. The first time he ever_ _won_ _an argument against his best friend. The first day he taught everyone how to count to ten. The day Naruto arrived. The day Naruto made a promise he would break us out of here._

 _The moment they all decided to escape. Together._

 _The closer the sword got the slower time became. Jellal could feel his mind begin to fade to black._

 _Acceptance was beginning to take over._

 _But deep within Jellal's chest something was beginning to take form- something was bubbling its way up to the surface. As the milliseconds began to pass this calming warmth increased. It spread from the chest to his appendages then to the tips of his finger and toes. It enveloped his body like a cozy blanket._

 _All over the course of twenty milliseconds._

 _But to Jellal it was eternity._

 _Then Jellal only saw darkness. That is, until anger became the only emotion in his heart. This isn't the way this was supposed to go. He was supposed to LIVE GOD DAMNIT!_

 _An explosion then echoed in his ears._

 _*Drip*_

 _Jellal's eyes snapped open and the first thing they recognized was the man who stood over him. The sword that was about to end his short life laid on the ground to his right. He had blacked out he reasoned. But what happened?_

 _His right arm was outstretched, reaching for the heavens above. The palm was open; his fingers outstretched. And in front of his palm was a golden seal. It slowly rotated clockwise. It's intricate designs and patterns radiated light and warmth._

 _It was his magic circle._

 _He looked at where his palm pointed. Where the magic he released landed._

 _*Drip*_

 _The chest of the man who almost ended his life was gone. Nothing left. A completely open chest cavity was all Jellal could see. Blood was rolling off of the man's exposed ribs. As it reached the end of the bone it stopped. Only until gravity took control and the liquid dropped onto Jellal's surprised body._

 _But Jellal eyes weren't watching the blood dripping nor the twitching of his exposed muscles. No, he was watching the slowing of his heartbeat. The pacemaker was exposed for all to see but the beats were slowing down. And slowing down. And slowing... down._

 _Then it stopped._

 _Emotions spread like an out-of-control forest fire in Jellal's body. Pain was the first, the source emanating from the kunai in his stomach. Next was horror from killing the man. A sadistic happiness then emerged from saving his friends and his own life. Shock arrived from seeing the man's life fade from his body._

 _Anger then took hold of his heart. Anger from being forced to do such a thing._

 _Suddenly, another magic seal appeared from his still outstretched palm. A dense beam of light shot out and obliterated the dead man's body. Blood rained from the sky as chunks of what was once a human being flopped onto the ground._

 _Jellal took his time to lift himself up. The kunai was still in his stomach and he could feel his blood dampening his clothes._

 _Then a seal appeared in front of Jellal._

 _Then another one appeared._

 _Then two more._

 _Then three more._

 _Seals of various sizes spawned all around Jellal. Each one a slave to their masters will, slaves to the emotions that run rampant in his heart. And as dutiful servants they struck. No remorse. No emotion. They simply attacked all of those that stood in their way._

 _And as the screams of pain and mercy hit his ears, his magic grew more ferocious._

 _Jellal grasped his blue hair and tugged in a desperate attempt to free his mind of the rampant suffering. "Stop… Please…" But the more people he struck the more the anger grew. He could no longer feel the calming warmth of his magic. That cozy blanket of his is gone. Instead it turned dark. Sinister. Deadly. It pulsed through his veins. Feeding off of his emotions! His_ _ **Anger!**_

 _ **He was just so MAD! So PISSED OFF! All he wanted was to leave! TO BE FREE! Nothing will stand in his way! NOT JAILERS! NOT PRISONERS! NO ONE!**_

 _"Jellal." Blond locks made their way into his vision and he stopped._

 _For a moment._

 _Before the onslaught began anew._

 _Two blue eyes, as calm as the ocean, locked onto his maroon ones. Then he felt a sharp strike to the back of his head and darkness took over his vision..._

 _ **x.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.x**_

Erza awoke to chirping.

The natural tune of the forest engulfed her subconsciousness since the moment her feet hit the dirt. Oh how she loved the outdoors! The warm summer air. The songs of the birds. Tiny crickets tweeting as they hop from one blade of grass to the next.

She could lay here, basking in the natural warmth of this summer morning and the cozy feeling of the dirt she laid on, all day. For all eternity.

She closed her eyes again, hoping to escape back to her dreams of grandeur. But no matter how hard she tried she couldn't find that comfort. It was as if her body was forcing her to stay awake. It was as if her body was so accustomed to being conscious at this time it couldn't drift off.

Maybe this was the time she woke up in the tower.

A yawn, so adorable, so cute that puppies would get jealous, escaped her lips. This adorable sensation drew the attention of one whiskered adult who sat only a few feet away in the open clearing.

"Good mornin' Erza-chan!" She found a pair of azure eyes and a boisterous smile gracing her, "Come on over here!"

Erza blinked, still shooing away her sense of exhaustion. The young girl lifted herself up and walked over to the big-brown oak tree that sat in the middle of the clearing they decided to take residence in. The tree they sat under was the only tree they could see for miles, allowing for a beautiful view of the night sky.

Naruto-nii and Rob-Ojii sat side by side under the oak. Both had their eyes glued to the fading jet black as thin beams of sunlight began to make themselves known over the horizon. Slowly, but steadily, the horizon became brighter and brighter.

Erza pulled up onto Naruto's left. Her eyes were following the duo's gazes into the heavens. As she looked on hoping to discover why the two adults were staring into the sky, two strong hands lifted her up and she found a new seat on Naruto's lap.

"How long has it been since I have seen the night sky?" Rob said to all yet everyone knew who the question was for.

"Have you ever seen a sunrise before Erza-chan?" Naruto asked. "Or do you remember seeing one?" The scarlet haired girl shook her head from left to right. "Well it's one of the most beautiful and magical things in the world."

Naruto smiled as his eyes clouded, "When I was a kid, I used to leave my apartment every single morning and climb to the top of the Hokage monument in order to watch the sunrise. I was never late."

"Wait..." Erza whispered to Naruto and herself, something seemed familiar about that statement. "The Hokage Monument? Like in the stories you told? That's real?"

The young girl tilted her head up to meet cloudy eyes and a face lost in memory.

"Yes. Konohagakure no Sato is a real place. I was born there and I grew up there. I woke up every morning to watch that sunrise. As those beautiful rays of sunshine cascaded over the walls around Konoha, it warmed me because I was always so... alone."

Naruto saw confused eyes. He could see that Erza wanted to ask the question, but an unspoken rule at the tower was to try and never talk about your family. Sometimes it got brought up, it just happened that way, but many people there, even those outside of their group, were orphans or lost family members when the guards raided their towns. So no one ever talked about it, and Naruto respected that rule.

"I'm an orphan too Erza. I never knew my family. Never met them. I only found out who they were years later and I was always so lonely because of it. Everyone had parents. Someone to play with and someone to take care of them. But that sunshine warmed me. Made me feel not so alone."

Erza listened intently. She always loved story time, loved listening to people and their adventures. They were always so interesting and they gave little clues into the minds of the people telling the story. So when Naruto said that Konoha is a real place and not a fictional land he made up, well, she made sure her ears memorized every word.

"Well don't be sad Naruto-nii." She said in a way only the innocence of a child's voice could convey, "You're not alone now. If it makes you feel better I'll watch the sunrise with you every morning."

Naruto-nii's face lit up like the sun Erza noticed. His joyful face became many times more exuberant before... before his smile began to fade. Before his eyes got a little teary. She cocked her head and it was as if the sudden movement brought him back to the real world. He massaged his eyes before he looked down at her and gave an oh-so-gentle kiss to her forehead.

She giggled.

Then the group descended into silence.

Soon enough the stars began to fade away. The moon descended out of view and the sun began its beautiful trip into the sky. Warm colors spread like a wildfire through the atmosphere and bathed the group in warmth and love.

The group of three sat there and enjoyed the sunrise. All of them blissfully unaware of what the future will hold for them.

 **x.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.x**

"...Dandy~"

"Damn it Wally! If you say dandy one more time I SWEAR you won't ever say it again!"

"Naruto! Watch your language around the kids!"

Blue met black and both stared with equal ferocity. The small group Rob found himself with stood on a still-docked boat in one of the more popular cities within the Caelum kingdom. It took some convincing and some cash, but Rob and Naruto managed to convince the man to transport them to Fiore.

"I just finished up the preliminary checks. We'll be heading out here in 5 minutes."

Rob nodded to the fisherman. He adjusted the blue-haired boy who was still unconscious on his back. Gone is the clothes stained with his blood and the blood of his enemies, now Jellal unknowingly wears a white tee-shirt, black slacks, and an orange belt hand picked by Naruto.

Naruto told him about what happened to Jellal. He hadn't been there to shield the kids from the bloodshed they saw or help Jellal with his meltdown.

And he will always regret that.

If it weren't for the steady heartbeat he could feel coming from the boy he would of thought he was dead. He just hopes he is alright. Rob just hopes all of the kids are alright.

"Dandy~"

"THAT'S IT! PREPARE TO DIE WALLY!"

But as Rob looks on to see Naruto strangling Wally until he turns green, he could feel happiness swelling in his old heart. Even if he were to die today he would know the kids would be in good hands. Great hands. Naruto just has a way with kids.

It may look like child abuse to the outside world, but it is nothing but love. Most of the time.

He just needs to make sure to teach him boundaries so somebody doesn't call child services on him. Definitely don't want him to get reported for strangling somebody.

The lurching of the boat dragged him out of his thoughts. He double checked over Jellal and found the scene oddly quiet.

"Naruto-nii?" Rob blinked as he heard Simon's voice. "You alright?"

"I ah-, um- oh fu-kami I'm. Noo!"

"*cough* D-Da-D-Dandy~"

Rob looked on as he saw Naruto drop Wally and cough, puke, and vomit up the lunch he had moments ago. Hands covered his mouth in a futile attempt to keep the floodgates closed.

"You alright there Naruto?" Asked Rob. A thumbs up was the only response he received before he continued to upchuck.

Yes. Happiness is what he felt.

But that's not the only emotions he feels brooding within him.

Deep within his heart lies something. Something negative. Something dark.

 _Fear._

Yes. Fear.

But not fear of something. Fear for something.

 **x.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.x**

"Sugoi~!"

There in front of the group stood a palace of a building. It's plentiful colors painted on its walls gave life to the lifeless object. It's daunting red doors met the gazes of the shinobi, mage, and would-be-mages. Standing tall is the golden sign shouting loudly to the world the name of the guild. Plastered in purple is the name 'FAIRY TAIL' with two golden fairies flanking on the left and right.

But no matter how beautiful the architecture, nor the wide array of colors and eye candy, the entire groups eyes were pinned onto a single banner with a symbol that hung from the highest point of the castle.

A Fairy

"So this is Fairy Tail huh?" asked Naruto. This was where Rob grew up at? This was home to his merry adventures?

"Yes." Rob answered with a single affirmative nod. Naruto has been stealing a few glances toward the older man ever since they entered Magnolia town. And, if he can be honest, Rob is different. The pep in his step and an air of confidence makes old man Rob a much different person than the one he met in the tower.

With a big smile reminiscent to a man returning to his family after being gone for far too long made its way on to his face as Rob strode forward towards the palace.

Only a few moment later the group opened the daunting doors to the palace and all eyes turned to meet the newcomers. They were scanned up and down, observed, judged, then ignored as everyone turned back to their own business.

The first thing that hit the group was the atmosphere of alcohol. Next was the sounds of laughter and rambunctiousness.

Then a chair flew their way.

A fucking chair.

With the ease of a man who spent years training his reflexes and strength, Naruto caught the chair and tossed it back in the direction from which it came. The residual yelp of pain brought a smile to Naruto's face. Good to know his aim hasn't diminished.

As Rob took in the atmosphere, his mind sent a payload of memories barreling at him. Ones he wanted to remember and ones he will need to forget.

"You damn brats and your pension for destruction! What am I? Made of cash?"

But as that familiar voice hit his ears, all that tension and worry he was feeling washed away. He knew what he had to do.

"Excuse me!" Rob hollered for all to hear. Naruto never heard the man raise his voice before, "I am looking for a short man named Makarov! He is supposed to be the guild master but the only person I see around here who matches his description must be at least two centuries old!"

Silence.

Not a voice was said. Not a thing was heard. It was as silent as a graveyard within the small establishment as the words sunk into the minds of everyone there.

Makarov didn't need to look up from his papers to know who said that. Only one man would have the confidence to directly insult his age.

Rob.

But as he was about to address his old friend the guild erupted. Smiles were donned by everyone present and people were gasping for oxygen as laughter filled the air.

"Well it's fucking nice to see you to Rob!"

Black eyes looked up from the dreaded fines shipped to him from the council to drink in the thin, fragile, roughed-up form of his old best friend.

"Rob..." Macky whispered in worry, "Are you alright?"

Rob smiled to put his friends worried heart at ease. "I am thanks to the whiskered man standing next to me." Makarov, understanding the hidden message in the words, nodded. He put the papers on the bar.

"Well why don't we go catch up then old friend! Make sure you bring our new prospect with you."

' _Prospect?'_ Naruto wondered to himself.

Rob turned back around and met five pairs of eyes staring at him; Unsure of what to do in this unfamiliar place. "Why don't you guys go socialize. Naruto and I will be right back."

"Hehe, No problem Rob-Ojii!" Simon said.

"Macao!" Makarov hollered over the commotion in the guild, "Look after the kids!" The man smiled and gave a thumbs up to the order.

Rob went up the stairs and motioned for Naruto to follow. Given how at ease his older friend was, Naruto felt at peace leaving the kids alone at the moment. So Naruto handed over the still unconscious Jellal to Erza, who struggled holding his dead weight, before he followed the two older men into Makarov's office.

"Macky, this is Naruto Uzumaki. Naruto, this is Makarov Dreyar."

Makarov held open the door for the duo then closed it as they entered the room. He pointed to a few chairs stacked in the corner for guests he can't avoid or get rid of.

"So you're the infamous Macky huh?"

A snort echoed through the room. "Ha! The one and only. I just hope Rob told the correct version of the stories. Not his out-of-proportion version." The smile on the old man's face faded. "But pleasantries aside, what do I owe the pleasure?" Rob and Naruto exchanged wary glances. They had spent time determining how they should relate their tale of the Story of the Tower Heaven. One preferred a simple rendition while the other believed that all cards should be laid on the table.

"We were on a small man-made island off the coast of the Caelum kingdom."

"The Caelum kingdom?" asked Makarov. The Caelum kingdom often keeps to itself. It doesn't enjoy meddling with other countries business. Isolationism at its finest. "Why go there?"

"Well, we didn't go there voluntarily." Naruto chimed in. "I was in a battle and roughed up pretty bad. When I woke, I was in this place called the 'Tower of Heaven' which was run by uhh..." He looked over at Rob for confirmation, "...Zeref worshippers."

Makarov chimed in at this moment "Tell me this: is it still standing?"

"From what we saw, yes. A lot of the boats were escaping the harbor but they were easy targets. The fires or explosions could of done some damage." Makarov took the information in stride.

"Can you guys point out where it was on a map? Or at least the general area?"

"Yes." Rob said knowing that Naruto wouldn't be able to do that. When they were escaping, Rob told Naruto which direction to run and he listened. He still had conscious memories of being taken and he had known what coast they shipped them from.

"Ughhh. The paperwork resulting from this will just be..." Two fingers on both sides of Makarov's head rubbed his temples in hopes of vanquishing away the stress this will cause him. "Rob, you already know the drill, Naruto..." Naruto blinked and focused at the mention of his name, "I will need you to stick around for a while. The council will want to talk to you about this."

Naruto blinked and Makarov turned toward Rob."But anyways, please do continue. I need to hear everything from your everyd-"

"Wait, wait, what?!" Naruto interrupted as the words finally registered, "How long do I need to wait around for!?"

"I don't really know." The guild master pointed plainly explained, "The council are lazy bums who make stupid rules and sit on their asses all day and would rather debate about things rather than get shit done."

"Well that reminds m-"

"Hold on there Naruto," Rob interrupted with a slight glint of sadness in his eyes, "Do you plan on leaving?"

Naruto met Rob's gaze and he wanted to feel uncomfortable, maybe squirm a little, but he didn't. And that somewhat frightened him. But in honesty, none of them ever made plans to stick together when they got out. Even the children all had their own _separate_ adventures they wanted to go on. Naruto only thought so far as escaping, and not really anything after that.

"Well, uh, no. I can't say I planned on leaving..." And with those words, Naruto got up from his seat. The thought of not knowing where to go from here is what frightened Naruto. He never been one for daily planning, or even for long term planning, but he always had at least an outline of where to go. Of what to do.

Naruto needed to think. And he needed to take care of Jellal. Then, everything else came back to him.

He had a lot of things he needed to do.

"..At least not yet. But I don't like being forced to stay in one place dattebayo."

Naruto made his way over to the door. "Wha-Where are you going?" He heard Rob ask.

"Me? I am going to go get some fresh air!" With a wave of a finger a second one of him popped into existence before he made his way out of the door leaving behind two flabbergasted adults and one annoyed clone.

Naruto left the room more dejected than when he walked in. He continued down the stair and he could feel his mind pulling him in ten different directions all at once, while being adamant on choosing one course of action to follow.

When his foot his the base floor, Naruto let all of the other tasks go. He had one focus right now, and it's time to get to it.

He did a quick search for the kids and he found them with ease. All huddled around, laughing to themselves and having a good time. He made his way over, completely conscious of the variety of eyes on him and his exotic appearance. Which he can completely understand. He was wearing normal clothes, but not many people usually saw whiskers on a man's face, nor the vibrancy of his hair, nor the giant seal on his left arm or his custom made seals dotting his right.

Those eyes faded from his mind when he came to a staggering halt in front of the group. His mouth wide open in amazement. "Did..." He began as he took in Jellal's unconscious form, "Did you guys draw on Jellal?! Are those whiskers? Is that a monocle? And Erza!" he addressed the young girl, "Did you write 'Erza is number one!' across his forehead!"

Solemn embarrassed nods replaced the exuberance that was plastered on their faces.

"I am so proud!"

"Milliana, the whiskers are a little bit off on the left side but otherwise they are perfect! Shô, the monocle is amazing! Good job!"

"Wally, I presume all the 'Dandies' written on his arms and hands are due to you. While it may not be my personal style, I respect the graffiti."

"And Simon, you were the one that covered both of his legs with all those markings? That's permanent marker right?" he responded with a nod of his head, "Hehe, that will take a few days to get out. Nice job!"

Erza smiled with satisfaction before she took a glance in a random direction. "Well it wasn't only us Naruto-nii!" She pointed over to a small girl, "Cana gave us the markers!" Naruto followed Erza's pointed finger to a heart-shaped face and big brown eyes you only hear about in stories. She wore a bright square patterned orange dress and wavy maroon hair put into a ponytail.

"Is that true Cana? You gave them the markers?"

Naruto waltzed his way over to the girl. She followed his movement while she sat in the bench seat and crouched down so they were eye to eye. When he arrived she looked up at Naruto's endless azure eyes then tore her gaze away unless she sell herself out. "Maybe..."

Sensing her weariness he decided to put her worried heart to ease. "Hehe. I'm not mad Cana-chan!" he oh so lightly placed his tanned hand on her shoulder as his whisker marks stretched across his face when a smile took hold.

"Do you see that simple-yet-elegant prank over there! That happened thanks to you! You helped out my little kids! Don't shy away! You should be proud to help your friends Cana-chan!"

"Naruto-nii! You're making Cana all red!"

"What! No I am not!"

"Are too!" Erza joined in.

"Am not!"

"Are too!" Milliana shouted.

"Ughhhhhh. You guys are so pig-headed!"

"You're pig-headed."

Naruto rubbed his hand through his long blond locks like he always does when he is annoyed. "No. I am not having this debate again!" Naruto's head swiveled back to the brown haired girl with a pink dust on her cheeks.

"Name's Naruto by the way. It's nice to meet cha' Cana!" Naruto stood back up and turned to his group. Before he walked off he turned back toward Cana. "Hey Cana, you know somewhere my munchkins and I could grab something to eat. And maybe a hospital."

"But we don't have any money Naruto-nii!"

"Who says that?"

"Well, umm," Cana interjected, "There's this woman. She lives kind of far away but when like people get roughed up real bad master takes them to her because the hospital doesn't really like us."

' _I hate hospitals anyways._ ' Naruto thought to himself. He has never been a fan and never will be a fan. So if there was a hermit who could help with healing up Jellal then that is fine by him. Especially if old man Makarov trusts this woman.

"Can you lead us to her?" Cana nodded. Naruto turned to his little group.

"Who's ready for a field trip?" An echo of yeses hit his ear as he picked up the still unconscious blue-haired boy and put him in a piggyback hold.

"Lead the way Cana!"

x.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.x

"I like this place!" Naruto said as he looked at the hallowed out tree turned house. Ma and Pa- who he just realized are probably worried sick about his lack of summons- would fall in love with this place. The energy, the natural flow, its a hard feeling to describe what nature magic is to those who haven't experienced it.

The magic is delicate. It's light, soft, and warm would be the best way he could describe it. It's like describing colors to a blind person or explaining the feeling of unlocking magic to a non-magic user.

He just... can't explain it. How it makes him feel. Every open crack, every exposed hole is just overflowing with eternano. God it made Naruto feel so alive. More alive than he has felt in a long time.

"Naruto-nii?" The aforementioned man looked down to the six kids watching him in confusion. It seems as if he got lost in his own thoughts again. He chuckled in embarrassment.

"Haha. My bad."

Naruto kicked the door a few times and he could feel the entire tree rattle. A few of the birds nesting in their homes took off in fright. Maybe he underestimated the integrity of the house.

"Hello?" He asked to the tree, "Anyone home?" Naruto didn't hear anything coming from the house.

"Maybe she's not home." Cana said to the group but Naruto had a hard time believing that. A hermit who prefers seclusion away from other people but not at home? Baloney. She's either hiding in there or she's somewhere close by. Close enough for him track.

Naruto sat himself down on the hermit's doorstep and Simon, noticing the silent que, walked over and took the unconscious boy. The blond haired man crossed his legs, cupped his hands, and allowed the natural magic found in nature to enter his receptive body.

And it came fast. Very fast. It flowed into his body like a broken dam. He had to take a few deep breaths to calm it into a peaceful river before he turned into stone. And when he opened his eyes, the blue azure disappeared to a bright yellow with horizontal slit pupils. Naruto felt tingly inside. The good kind of tingly, not the 'my-foot-is-asleep' kind of tingly. It was so peaceful. So _invigorating._

Naruto has missed being able to go full sage mode. Or something close to it. He'll need to check a mirror to fully know, but for the time being, it will get the job done.

He reached out as his senses grew. He could detect the kids behind him, then everyone in Magnolia, and soon more magic signatures, some bright like a forest fire and others timid like a campfire became known to him. But what was odd was that he couldn't sense any magic coming from the woman inside.

He knew he was there. He could hear the steady thumping of her heartbeat, her breath, and the latent magical items stashed around her house, but no magic coming from her. Or so little that even he couldn't sense it.

Weird.

"I know you're in there. I can sense you."

No answer still.

"Please come out. I've got a kid who needs help here."

"G- a-" A jarbled mess of meek words made their way through the canopy- completely indecipherable.

"What?" The blond asked.

"I SAID GO AWAY YOU FILTHY HUMANS!" Naruto stepped back from the volume. And he thought Iruka-sensei could be a loudmouth.

"HEY!" Naruto's own voice now matched her intensity, "CAN YOU PLEASE LOOK AT MY KID HERE YOU HERMIT!?"

The voice went quiet for a moment, before erupting once more. "NO! NOW SCRAM. I DON'T HAVE ANY TIME TO DEAL WITH YOU HUMANS. NOW LEAVE A HERMIT LIKE ME ALONE."

"WHY THE HELL ARE YOU YELLING AT ME. I JUST WANT YOUR HELP."

"I'M YELLING BECAUSE YOU PEOPLE NEVER LISTEN UNLESS I YELL. NOW. GO. AWAY."

Naruto took a step back from the door and weighed his different possibilities. How does he convince a stubborn old hermit who hates humans, to take a look at Jellal? Definitely the golden question if there ever was one. And fighting fire with fire so far has been a losing strategy up until this point.

"Hey Cana." Naruto whispered to the brown haired girl. Her eyes looked up and met his yellow. "You said she was on the same team as Makarov right?"

"Yes."

Naruto smiled, "Good."

Naruto re-approached the door with a different tactic in mind. "Excuse me Porlyusica-san? I'm sorry if I was abrupt but I came here because I need your help."

That muffled doors hit his ears again. "How many time do I have to tell you? Go away! Or do I need to beat you to within an inch or your life?"

How aggravating. "Rob-jiji told me you used to heal him up when he did something stupid!." Naruto smiled No he didn't, "Rob-Jiji is talking to old man Macky in the guild right now which is why he isn't here with me. But I need your help!"

"Jellal here awoke his magic to save his friends and he lost control. I had to knock him out or else he was going to bring about a lot of harm to a lot of people. It's been three days and he hasn't woken! I need your help!"

There was no sound coming from within the house. Thus Naruto waited. And waited. And waited.

"Please! I'll wait on this doorstep until the end of time if I need to!"

And that's what he did.

For the next hour.

With six complaining kids standing behind him.

Naruto stood back up from his crossed leg position on the hermit's doorstep. Having to repeatedly enter sage mode to ensure the hermit doesn't sneak off through some back door and make him look like an idiot.

"Naruto-nii~" He heard Milliana moan behind him, "Can we go~?"

Erza chimed in, "We can't go until she looks at Jellal, Milliana!"

"It's obvious she doesn't care." Simon stated to the group. "I think we should go to the hospital."

"Master will gladly pay the bill if you ask him." Cana helpfully stated to the group.

"I'm sure he will." Naruto said to the group. "But Jellal is _physically_ fine. If we bring him there, they will probably run some tests on him, but won't really do anything. This hermit though, has the trust of the master, who has the trust or Rob. Both of whom are members of a magic... guild. I assume that she would know what to do in this situation than some _hospital_."

The group quieted down for a moment at those words from the blond haired man. They somewhat understood what Naruto was saying. But they were, at least everyone minus Cana, was considering something else.

"Naruto-nii." Erza asked the man. "When we awaken our magic, will what happened to Jellal… happen to us?"

Naruto dotted on the question for a moment as the kids waited with bated breaths. He opened his mouth, then closed it again as he scraped the words he was about to say. He rethought his answer. "I don't know." Naruto said to the kids, "But you guys should know that Jellal awakened his magic to _protect_ you guys and himself. You all remember the Tower of Heaven and how terrible that place was. I'm sure you guys, aside from you Cana, will awaken your magic when the time comes. The biggest difference is that all of you will have me and a whole guild to back you guys up!"

A few moments later, the shuffling of feet brought his attention to the door. It cracked open, ever so slightly, and revealed a single red eye and a few curls of pink hair.

"You said Ro-... Are you using Sage magic?" The sudden topic change was certainly odd and it reflected on Naruto's bewildered face. Not many people outside had heard of Sage magic. Not many people within Konoha had even heard of it. Most only believe it to be a myth.

"Yes. The toa-"

"Intriguing." The pink haired hermit stated as she studied Naruto's yellow eyes. "Why such a young man as yourself has complete control over such a powerful lost magic confuses me."

The woman's eyes continue to roam over Naruto's form, then to the children behind his legs. "Onto other matters, where is this boy you wish for me to see?"

Naruto looked back toward the kids and scooped up Jellal from Simon. He presented the boy like a fragile gift to the hermit. Naruto was a little bit weary of the woman but if his personal experience with quirky people -Ero-Sennin, Tsunade-baachan, Kakashi-sensei, Orochimaru, Itachi, etc- has taught him anything, the more quirky, the stronger they are in their respective fields.

The hermit closed the door for a moment and Naruto heard some rattling within the tree. A second later the door swung open to reveal an older woman, with two pink bangs framing her face and red eyes staring at his own yellow.

"Come in. " She said with finality, "Lay him on the bed." Naruto made his way across the room and gently placed Jellal on the bed as the kids all watched him.

"Is Jellal going to be okay?" Erza asked Porlyusica. When Naruto noticed the older woman's lack of response, he opted to answer.

Naruto smiled at her caring heart, "He is going to be fine Erza! You just need to let the woman do her work."

Before Naruto or the kids could do anything else Porlyusica walked over to the group. "I'll take a look at him but you kids need to scram! I don't want any of you moping around my house. Get out!"

A broom descended on Naruto's skull and he yelped in surprise at the impromptu beating. As she came in for a second strike Naruto moved out of the way of the cleaning tool.

"What the hell was that for!?"

"That was for yelling at me! Now out! All of you! Out! Come back in a few hours if you want to check on him but he and I do not need you here!"

Naruto ushered his little group out of the door to the tree and down the stairs. He could feel the bump on his head beginning to grow and boy does it hurt!

"You there! The Sage!" Naruto turned back around and met the pointed finger of the hermit. "This won't come free! You owe me. You understand!?"

Naruto's thumbs up was his only response to the confirmation, "A-ok baa-chan!"

Naruto could see her whispering obscenities under her breath in an attempt to save the children from the roasting.

Soon enough the woman closed the door and got to work on the blue-haired boy and Naruto, plus the group, ran off to get something to eat now that their mission was completed.

 **x.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.x**

Almost as if the god of time decided to meddle in the affairs of mortals, Naruto walked in the doors the moment his disgruntled clone popped at the end of Makarov, Rob's and his meeting ended.

It was only moments later till the now turned duo made their way down the stairs. Idle banter reverberated between the two like it did decades before when they were young and full of energy. Back when their only care in the world was themselves and their friends.

But times change. They've grown old. They've become wiser. They have an appreciation for all people, friends or enemies. They understand the cruelties of the world, no matter how great or how insignificant. They know, more than most, how important family and friendship is in this world of uncertainty.

So when the story of the great escape from the Tower of Heaven was told to him, his experience yelled that something was up. Naruto is a special kid. There is nothing to doubt. The charisma. The Sage Magic.. The Dragon Slayer Magic. But to have such mastery over these respective yet dangerous magics and battle experience and ability to kill with ease with little to no remorse, is not something found often within the borders of Fiore. But it's something found well on the outside of the known world. Within the forbidden continent.

This has brought him to the conclusion that he has only observed the exterior of Naruto. And given the fact that Naruto was the one to tell the story, and no one to correct any missing or exaggerated information, what can he truly know? Makarov has no reason to doubt of course. And why would he? Naruto saved six kids, managed a breakout and saved one of his best friends in the world. But to always have an open mind and not allow split second judgments and stories to determine the likability or trustworthiness of a person, is something required as a wizard saint, master of a guild, and a father to all of his children. But the real value of a person can be seen from those who surround him.

Now while the exterior shell of Naruto has been revealed, there are layers, lots of layers he believes, that exist within him. But Makarov loves mysteries.

Yet, as Makarov walks down the stairs and observes Naruto, the five children he came here with, and Cana, all dotting big smiles and hollering with laughter, he knows he's going to enjoy this mystery.

"Hey Naruto!" Makarov called out to the whiskered adult. His cloudy distraught eyes lost in memory refocused and found him. "Come on over my boy!"

He smiled and nodded accordingly before taking off in this direction. Cana watched as Naruto approached the master. Her eyes focusing in on the I-genuinely-care-about-you smile he has mastered.

"I like your tou-chan." Cana said to the red-haired girl standing parallel to her.

Confused eyes met Cana's brown, "Naruto-nii isn't my tou-chan. He's, well, Naruto-nii!"

"But he calls you guys and that blue haired guy his 'kids.'"

Erza thought about what Cana said for a moment; She wasn't wrong. It's just never anything that she thought about. What else is Naruto supposed to call them?

"Well, uh, umm, h-he's not my tou-chan. He's my nii-san Cana."

"Yea, sure~~~"

"What's that supposed to mean!?"

Makarov listened into the banter of the children and absorbed everything they said. His discussion with Rob and Naruto -or Naruto's clone- was very fruitful. It's great to know there are six new prospects for the guild.

He just wish he knew what his seventh prospect, Naruto, was running away from.

 **x.X.X.X.X.X.X.x**

 **And that is the end of Chapter 2! I hope you guys enjoyed it! I can't tell you guys how many times I tweaked this chapter. It was mostly the end where they arrived at Fairy Tail that needed changing. The first time I wrote it there was no real meaning to the arrival and I portrayed the interaction between Makarov and Rob very poorly thus I needed to take longer than expected to make sure I got everything right!**

 **Well, at least mostly right.**

 **No matter how many times I re-write and re-read my story it will never be perfect and I completely understand that. If I didn't then I would NEVER get a chapter out and, well, I really don't want to have an abandoned story on my profile. If it comes down to it and I legitimately can not continue the story, I will post a quick transition chapter to the end of the story, then I will finish the story with a second chapter.**

 **But I don't plan on having it come down to that.**

 **Anyways! Until next time! This is the second part of the first Arc: To our new home!**


	3. Chapter 3: The New Beginning

Jellal didn't know how much time has passed — nor did he know where he was.

All he knows is what he can see. And all he can see are trees; Tall enough to reach to the skies and dark enough to hide the moonlight. They invaded everything in his sight. Add in an ever-moving mist that seemed to pick and choose where it loops —as if it has a living consciousness— and someone could say Jellal was confused... weary even, for his safety and those of his friends.

He tried to lift himself up, but something held him down — pinning him to the ground with frigid slithering limbs that curled and twisted, but held no rigid edge. No spine one could say. And the more he tried, the more pressure and restraint he began to feel.

Whatever it was, it certainly didn't want him to go anywhere.

"Jellal." The boy's eyes shifted to the left, but all he could see were trees. He tried to move his head again, but the struggle was futile.

Something grasped his hand. It was warm, comforting even... in stark contrast to the cold crawling that made his spine shiver. But teasingly, a fluff of blonde hair entered his vision, and soon the smiling visage of his older family member made itself known.

"Relax kid." He said, and Jellal did. In response, Jellal smiled, hopefully conveying his answer because the sandpaper-like texture of his inner throat meant all of his words would be guttural and unintelligible.

When the blond nodded, he knew Naruto understood.

"Operation complete Naruto-sama."

Naruto looked up, and Jellal tried to follow his vision, only to find whatever the blond was staring at right outside his sight.

"Thank you Katsuyu."

Jellal could feel his restrains loosen and writhe away, freeing his body from its restraints. In response, he wiggled his fingers, then wiggled his toes. He made sure he had ten of each, relishing the response before pushing himself up into a seated position. With a tinge of nausea and Naruto's balancing hand, he managed to sit upright.

"What...?" He asked with a cracked voice, causing his theory to be proven reality. But even without the words, Naruto could see those analytical eyes calculating away.

"Oi." Naruto said while offering a bottle of water, one Jellal took eagerly. "Relax. You're going to throw up."

And Jellal could feel the bile rising. "...I've always hated throwing up."

"And that's why you should take it easy Jellal."

The boy headed the advice with vigor and laid himself back down, simply allowing himself to absorb his surroundings. Whatever was here before disappeared. Surely not far— but far enough to give them some privacy.

"Where-" He began to ask before Naruto cut him off.

"A magical place known as Shikkotsu Forest. The home to Katsuyu."

Jellal stayed silent, but the intensity in his gaze remained, and Naruto already knew the boy wasn't satisfied. "The slug." He continued. "The one that healed you. This is her home."

Jellal nodded and accepted the man's word at face value before looking up to the sky. Those trees still obscured his view, but he could begin to see some stars through the cracks in the leaves. The moonlight was spotty, but it persevered to the forest floor, illuminating very little, but enough for him to remember the nights he would look up and wonder what life had in store.

Slowly, as he continued to stare, his eyes began to grow lax, no matter the struggle he put up.

"It's okay Jellal." Naruto said as he squeezed his hand again. "We'll talk all about this later, just relax, go to sleep, okay?"

"...Yes..." The boy said. And in mere moments, they closed for good. With Jellal's consciousness fully drifted away, Katsuyu emerged from the trees.

"Thank you, again, Katsuyu."

"Your welcome Naruto-sama." She said in a pleasant tone, "The terms of our deal still stands, and I can get everything prepared when you're ready."

"I'm ready." He said with firmness, "...whenever you are."

 **x.X.x.**

When Jellal woke again, he wasn't in the forest anymore; No, he was in a small hut.

Fresh air, no ventilation, bugs flying everywhere —no doubt partially due to his immense body odor that even his own nose picks up— and the chirping of wildlife hit his body all at once. It was disorienting to go from the bland tower to the center of life in a forest. Was he still in the same forest as before? Is he somewhere else? Where's Naruto?

Foolishly he tried to lift himself up, only to have a hand push him down to the bed.

"Stop." A stern voice stated, and Jellal turned his head to find a pink-haired woman holding him down, "Overexertion of unhealed injuries can cause those injuries to resurface." She said as she placed a hand on the boy's forehead.

"Who are you?" He asked in concern. "Are you Katsuyu the slug?"

"I'm Porlyusica." She said with a straight face, "Your... human caretaker, I guess."

Jellal didn't feel too comforted by those words. "Naruto has left you in my hands for the time being."

Again, stubbornly, the boy began to lift himself up, only to be pushed down once again. "When will he be back?" He asked.

"Soon." She answered, "You will feel your stomach injury for weeks to come, it might even leave a scar, but you should be able to walk..." She trailed off before retrieving a walking cane that hung by the door, "...Now you definitely will be able to walk. But I'm sure you would like to see Rob? Or maybe that red-headed girl and her motley crew that stop by?"

Jellal smiled and nodded, still weary but excited. He felt the rush, _her rush_ , almost as if the woman didn't want him there, never did.

Ignoring the sharp pain in his stomach, he lifted himself up and grabbed the walking cane. Who was he to stay where he wasn't wanted? His feet wobbled when he put them on the ground, nothing too unexpected, but his necessary reliance on the cane is what caught him off guard.

His lack of muscle memory astounded him when he tried to fully rely on his own weight.

In haste and in learning, Jellal hobbled after the pink-haired hermit, putting the majority of his weight in the cane. She closed the door behind them and started off walking, Jellal doing his best to keep pace with the woman.

The sun was still high in the sky, the heat was bearing down, and Jellal had trouble keeping his eyes open as his retina were _unaccustomed_ to sunlight. Navigating a forest while hobbling around on a third leg left him tripping often, stumbling somewhat, and falling over more times than he would care to admit.

Yet, each time his legs hit the dirt, it reminded him that is wasn't concrete. And he wasn't grasping at metal poles anymore either, just the rough bark of the trees. The sunlight was causing his body to sweat, his stomach ached, and his eyes burned, but he loved every moment of it.

It's amazing how much you miss things like this when locked away.

And as the duo continued, both kept silent during Jellal's embarrassing escapade. The blue-haired boy was getting the feeling that the woman didn't want to talk, and personally being unsure of how to start a conversation with the adult, Jellal didn't want to break the silence.

Yet, the farther they walked, the more the silence began to dissipate. Jellal could hear chatter off in the distance, infused with the noise and explosiveness of everyday life that exponentially grew the closer they got.

Soon enough, they were overwhelmed by the commotion and engulfed by the sounds of everyday life. People, a lot of them —many more than Jellal was used to— were going about their daily business: eating, working, relaxing. Many of them watched the duo, allowing a wide berth leaving Jellal wondering if it was due to the smell —he could see the wrinkling noses— or due to the woman he is with —he could also see the stares everyone was giving her.

Jellal's eyes found the one person who wasn't staring them down; a small girl with brown hair and wearing a orange sundress. Maybe it was the color of the dress that caught his eye, or that she was a child, just like him. But as she walked out of a store and glanced around the street, her eyes met his and she froze.

"You..." She stumbled out, "You're..."

Jellal stared at the girl, who unflinchingly stared back, "Is she staring at me?" He asked Porlyusica, who watched the scene unfold.

"Yes." She said, "It seems as if you have grown quite the reputation within Fairy Tail."

So they made it then, Jellal mused, all the way to Magnolia

"Cana." A voice said from behind, "Hasn't anyone ever told you it's rude to stare?"

Jellal and Porlyusica turned at the voice, but not before a pair of hands scooped Jellal up and placed him on his shoulders. Jellal grabbed onto the blond locks to balance himself but beamed down a smile when he recognized the color.

"Glad to see you're finally awake Jellal." Naruto said with a smile, " I didn't think you to be a 'sleep-in' type of kid."

The indistinguishable noise of a throat clearing brought Naruto's attention to the hermit that helped. "And thank you for taking care of him Porlyusica baa-chan."

"I'll let you take it from here." She said before walking away back toward the forest, but not before turning and speaking over her shoulder, "But this doesn't mean you can stop by whenever you want, you hear?"

Naruto nodded at the glare, happy to give the woman the privacy she deserves.

"Now, you two haven't officially met, but Cana this is Jellal, and Jellal, this is Cana."

Cana raised her hand in greeting and flashed the biggest smile she could muster, one that stretched her cheeks and showed her gums. Naruto chuckled silently to himself, something he'll have to talk to her about at a later point in time.

Naruto gently took Jellal off of his shoulders and placed him on the ground. The blue-haired boy reached out and shook the hand. "Nice to meet you Cana."

"And nice to finally meet you Jellal." They turned and the trio took off to the guild, still noticing the wide berth that gave way wherever they went.

But analyzing that is for another time, for now Jellal will relish that he made his first new friend in years.

It was the beginning of his new life...

And the beginning of Naruto's end...

 **x.X.x.**

 **Man, it has been a long time. A year and a half I believe? If I remember correctly at least, but I made a promise that I wouldn't give up on the story, and I haven't.**

 **The funny thing is, I have actually redone this chapter three times. My first rendition was Naruto going on a great escapade to Konoha to get Ino to come with him to heal Jellal, forcing the duo to enter Jellal's consciousness to uncover why he has trapped himself there and what was causing it. Upon helping him, he then has to fight against a version of himself, Siegran.**

 **Another one was Jellal trapped himself in his own illusion where he slowly uncovers that this is not his life, and that everything he thought he knew was an elaborate rouse, forcing himself to accept his emotions for what they are, and combining his analytical with emotional sides.**

 **Then I came to the realization that this was all too much. I was making something like a coma into much more than it needed it to be, so I just decided to do him waking up and his beginning experiences around that.**

 **But remember, everything has a cost. Naruto realizes this, and he has made a few deals to ensure he gets what he wants, but at what price?**

 **Anyways, hope everyone enjoys this short transition chapter into the final chapter of this arc. Future updates will be erratic for sure, but I won't give up and the chapters will more than likely be much shorter than the original two. Hopefully around 5,000-8,000 words a chapter ideally.**


End file.
